Infant formula, used to feed babies below 12 months of age, is enriched with vegetable oils to reach a fat composition similar to breast milk. During the production of refined vegetable oil, there is a risk of processing contaminants to enter into the food product, such as monochloro-propandiol fatty acid esters and glycidyl ester. These substances are formed unintentionally during oil refining processes.

They can contaminate food and cause health risks to consumers and especially to infants. Therefore, EU law sets low maximum levels of the sum of these contaminants in infant formula. They are particularly low for infant milk formula due to the higher vulnerability of infants.

Measuring the low thresholds set for complex food products intended for consumption by children is challenging. So far, laboratories could only check the reliability of their measurements of monochloro-propandiol fatty acid esters and glycidyl ester using in-house prepared test materials or by participation in interlaboratory comparisons.

The JRC has produced a new certified reference material (CRM) that assists control laboratories in accurately measuring these contaminants by providing an independent reference. They can now enhance their measurement methods, guaranteeing the purity of infant formula. International standards require laboratories to use certified reference materials for quality control.

The newly released certified reference material ERM-BD087 will allow control laboratories to validate their measurement methods according to a guideline provided by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety.

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Certified Reference Materials catalogue of the JRC

ERM-BD087 Infant formula certified reference material

Certified reference materials