With a vast variety of recipes and a relatively long shelf life, pasta earns its popularity amongst the staple foods. The Consumer Council has tested 35 samples of dried pasta and found that 65% (23 samples) contained mycotoxin deoxynivalenol, with 2 samples also detected with ochratoxin A. Another 65% (23 samples), including 2 samples for infants and young children, were found to have traces of pesticide residues. Although all the harmful substances detected were below the Hong Kong or European Union (EU) reference standards, the fact that some samples were able to achieve non-existence of such hazardous substances, reflected that manufacturers should have room for improvement in reducing the presence of pesticides and mycotoxins during the procurement of raw materials, processing, transportation and storage processes in order to ensure food safety and hygiene standards.
Test results revealed all samples contained foreign matters such as insect fragments, hair, stoney fragments, metal fragments, natural fibres or plastic fragments, calling on manufacturers again to strengthen quality control along the production chain in a bid to minimise the presence of foreign matters. The sample detected with the most was found to have more than 500 tiny insect fragments. The Council is concerned and urges manufacturers and importers to improve the soonest, so as to provide the public with better quality to dried pasta.
35 samples of pre-packaged dried pasta, comprising 9 samples of fusilli, 15 samples of macaroni and 11 samples of spaghetti were tested for furosine, light filth, mycotoxins, and pesticides. Among them, 3 samples labelled as food for infants and young children were the most expensive, with prices ranging from $24.2 to $31.9 per 100g, whereas the rest were priced from $1.4 to $11.6 per 100g. However, the sample with the lowest price, along with 3 samples for infants and young children carrying the highest price tags, received the top score of 5 in the overall rating. This once again demonstrates that there is no necessary correlation between the price and product quality.
Of the 35 samples, 65% (23 samples) contained deoxynivalenol, including 2 samples for infants and young children, the concentration of which ranged from 36μg/kg to 506μg/kg. Such levels were all below the maximum level set by the EU, meaning that normal consumption of these samples will not cause adverse health effect. However, as children are lighter in weight, the provisional maximum tolerable daily intake of deoxynivalenol for a 15kg 3-year-old child is only 15μg, according to the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). Making reference to this limit and taking the 2 samples with the highest levels of deoxynivalenol (506 and 312μg/kg) as examples, if a child eats 25g of pasta (approximately half bowl after fully cooked) a day, he/she would have ingested 12.7μg and 7.8μg of deoxynivalenol respectively, hence reaching over 80% and 50% of the maximum tolerable daily intake. If he/she consumes a bigger portion or eats other cereal products of relatively high level of deoxynivalenol within the same day, the overall intake may exceed the child’s maximum tolerable limit, posing a risk to the child. Symptoms of nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, and fever may appear within 30 minutes after a large intake of deoxynivalenol, resembling symptoms of food poisoning caused by pathogens and viruses.
Among the 23 samples detected to contain deoxynivalenol, 2 also found to have ochratoxin A at 1.6μg/kg and 0.9μg/kg, the concentrations of which were all below the EU maximum limit of 3μg/kg for processed cereal-based food products. The Council reminds consumers that crops affected by pests and mould during planting, or grains not properly dried and stored after harvest, would likely cause mould to multiply and produce mycotoxins in the aftermath.
In addition, traces of pesticides were detected in 65% of the samples (23 samples), including 2 which claimed to be “organic”. Among them, 14 samples, including 2 for infants and young children, were detected to contain glyphosate. The levels were all below the maximum limits set in Hong Kong’s Pesticide Residues in Food Regulations or the relevant EU limits, thus is safe to consume under normal circumstances. Although according to the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Pesticide Residues (JMPR), glyphosate taken from diet is unlikely to pose carcinogenic risk to consumers, it was classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as “probably carcinogenic to humans” (Class 2A).
12 samples were detected to contain more than one type of pesticide residue. Although it is subjected to research verification, whether mixed pesticides would lead to any “Cocktail Effect” hence impacting on human health, the Council suggests that raw material suppliers of the industry should adopt physical control measures for pest and disease control in order to safeguard consumers’ food safety and ecological impact. Chemical control such as using pesticides should only be taken as a last resort.
Wheat, being the raw material of pasta, is highly possible to get mixed with foreign matters such as insects during planting and harvesting. Since Codex Alimentarius Commission, Hong Kong and the EU have not yet established the maximum concentration or action level of detected insect fragments in food, the current test had made reference to the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) action level on macaroni and noodle products which stated that if an average of over 225 insect fragments were detected in 225g of 6 or more subsamples, the food is regarded as “adulterated”. The current tests took 225g of each pasta sample for testing. Insect fragments ranging from 4 to 548 were detected in all 35 samples. 2 of these samples were found to contain the highest amount of 548 and 271 insect fragments respectively which were 144% and 20% higher than the US action level.
Apart from insects and insect fragments, in 65% of the samples (23 samples) were found to contain other foreign matters such as acarid, hair, metal fragments, natural fibres, plastic fragments, rodent hair and hair fragments, stoney fragments and synthetic fibres, etc. They were generally very tiny in size, which could only be seen under the microscope. The Council advises consumers no need to worry too much, as most of the bacteria can be killed if cook the pasta in boiling water properly before eating.
Furthermore, the Council is also concerned that for productivity sake, the manufacturers, would dry the pasta at higher temperature to shorten the drying time. This may result in reducing the lysine level of the pasta, which is a substance that bring nutritional value to the body. During the drying process, furosine would be generated and the amount would increase as the temperature goes up. Therefore, furosine is generally regarded as an indicator of thermal damage to pasta quality during the drying process, more furosine means the more serious is the heat damage to the pasta. If manufacturers dry pasta at 75°C or above, the furosine level is usually 300mg or more in every 100g of protein. The current tests found that the amount varied significantly in all samples, ranging from 68mg/100g to 460mg/100g, a differential of 5.7 times. The amount in 9 samples were between 300mg/100g and 460mg/100g of protein, indicating a more serious degree of thermal damage and possible impact on the nutritional value of the pasta.
When choosing dried pasta, consumers should pay attention to the following:
- Visit reputable shops, choose well-packaged ones, with no visible foreign matters and mould;
- Carefully read the information of allergen information on the product label. Consumers suffering from coeliac disease should choose gluten-free pasta;
- Check product label for the shelf life to avoid excessive stocking up which might lead to food spoilage and waste;
- Check the pasta condition carefully before consuming. Even before its expiration date, it should be disposed if finds to be mouldy, contaminated with pests or spoiled;
- Keep the pasta in a cool and dry place and consume it as soon as possible after the package has been opened. Storing the pasta in a sealed container would also protect it from absorbing moisture and pests.
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