MOSH and MOAH in Coconut Oil and WHY you shouldn’t be worried
As a growingly more favored type of cooking oil, can coconut oil get any healthier (and safer)?
Yes, and we at Oleo-Fats is proud to be one of the frontrunners of premium coconut oil producers and exporters in the country. We take pride in going further in lowering the amount of mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH) and mineral aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH) present in our products.
Not so long ago, the mere mention of “oil” in food is enough to raise health concerns among consumers. A whole generation grew up believing that oil is responsible for cholesterol, which is bad news for our body. But this has been long proven wrong—thanks to many publications that enlightened the public about “good” and “bad” cholesterol. Such developments were crucial for the survival of our industry, and the same principle can be applied on MOSH and MOAH.
The nature and sustainability of our business is dependent on how we prioritize food safety. Having said this, we acknowledge the fact that it is inevitable not to have crude mineral oil residues in the oil. Contamination may occur in different stages of production—from agriculture, processing, and up to delivery. Simply put, MOSH and MOAH will always be present at high levels in coconut oil, unless interventions are taken. While according to recent scientific studies, “there is no sufficient toxicological evidence” to prove that the levels of MOSH in food, in general, are dangerous to humans, the effects of MOSH is seen after long exposure, through accumulation, causing microgranulomas in several tissues. MOAH, on the other hand, “are suspected to be mutagenic and carcinogenic.”
To date, Oleo-Fats is committed in maintaining low levels of MOSH and MOAH—20 ppm (parts per million) MOSH and 2 ppm MOAH. These figures are top grade in the food industry, but we are not stopping there. We are also taking proactive steps in preventing MOSH / MOAH contamination in our coconut oil supply chain by identifying the stages where we can control and mitigate possible contaminations—in receiving copra; in oil milling; in coconut oil delivery; and even in delivery truck maintenance. We ensure that best practices are implemented in each stage.
At Oleo-Fats, you can be guaranteed that we are going beyond industry standards. We will always be one step ahead to ensure that we can provide the healthiest and safest product to our partners in the food industry.
