Mineral Oil Hydrocarbons

MOSH/MOAH (Mineral Oil Saturated Hydrocarbons and Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbons) are considered contaminants in foods. These substances can enter food during extraction, processing, or through packaging during transportation and storage, or as a result of environmental influences.

In the analysis of mineral oil hydrocarbons in packaging materials and foods, a distinction is usually made between saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH) and aromatic (MOAH); the so-called POSH (Polymer Oligomeric Saturated Hydrocarbons) are also detected. These are oligomers from plastics (e.g., polyethylene or polypropylene) that are chemically identical to MOSH compounds and cannot be separated analytically using online HPLC-GC-FID technology. POSH can also migrate to food.

mas GmbH is accredited for the determination of mineral oils (MOSH/MOAH) in foods, feedstuffs, cosmetic raw materials and products, consumer goods, packaging materials, and aids for packaging material manufacturing according to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025:2018.