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    Methanol Limit in Coffee
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    Methanol Limit in Coffee

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    Methanol Limit in Coffee
    EU

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    Version Number
    Content Creation Date
    		Publishing DateSection(s) Updated & Reason(s) for Update
    V0
    24 October 2023
    		07 May 2024N/A (new report)
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    1. Methanol Limit in Food Products

    In the EU, there is no EU mandatory limit for methanol in food products, except in spirit beverages. However, as per Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 [1], it is the responsibility of the food business operator to place safe food on the EU market.

    As an approach to assess the safety of the methanol level in food products, the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) concluded in their assessment of aspartame [2]: “Methanol is present in or can be released from foods such as fruits and vegetables and is also naturally produced by the body. It becomes toxic when exposure is extremely high, such as from consumption of some home-distilled alcoholic spirits”.  EFSA’s experts concluded that methanol derived from aspartame is a small portion of total exposure to methanol from all sources”.

    In addition, for methanol used as an extraction solvent in the production of foodstuffs or food ingredients, Directive 2009/32/EC [3] defines a limit level:


    2. Methanol Limit in Coffee Beans After Torrefaction

    There is no methanol limit in coffee beans before or after torrefaction defined at the EU level.

    As presented above for food, even though methanol is not used as a solvent, the limit of 10 mg methanol/kg of extracted foodstuff could be used as a guide to assess the safety of the level of methanol. Overall, if the methanol content in coffee beans after torrefaction represents a small portion of total exposure to methanol from all-natural sources through the diet (where it is a normal constituent), it is seen as safe for the EU authority.


    Conclusion
      1. At the EU level, there is no legal limit for natural methanol in food, nor in coffee beans before or after torrefaction. 
      2. The food business operator (FBO) is responsible for placing safe food on the EU market. As a result, if the FBO is aware of the potentially toxic components due to the making process (e.g., methanol in coffee beans due to yeast), the FBO is expected to limit as possible its content and monitor it to ensure safety. At the EU level, the limit of 10 mg/kg of food is set when methanol is used as a solvent, such a limit can be used as a guide for assessing the safety of methanol levels in coffee beans before or after torrefaction.

    3. References

    1. Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2002 laying down the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures in matters of food safety

    http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2002/178/2022-07-01


    2. Scientific Opinion on the re-evaluation of aspartame (E 951) as a food additive, EFSA 2013

    https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/3496

    And Factsheet “EFSA explains the Safety of Aspartame”

    https://www.efsa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/corporate_publications/files/factsheetaspartame.pdf 


    3. Directive 2009/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States on extraction solvents used in the production of foodstuffs and food ingredients

    http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2009/32/2023-02-16



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