Safe ARA oils for Infant Formula: Cereulide removal possible
Reduction studies by Nutriswiss AG show ways to eliminate the highly stable toxin in the refining process
The detection of the bacterial toxin cereulide in infant formula from several European manufacturers in February 2026 led to a loss of confidence and a large wave of recalls. The contamination was caused by oils containing arachidonic acid in the formulas. Cereulide cannot be removed by conventional measures. Contaminated batches have so far had to be disposed of. Nutriswiss is currently conducting promising trials to remove this stubborn contamination from oils using adapted refining steps.
So-called ARA oils with a very high content of arachidonic acid (ARA) are widely used to enrich infant formula or food supplements with long-chain omega-6 fatty acids from non-animal sources. Among other things, these are important for the development of the immune system, the eyes or the brain in infants and young children. Contamination of ARA oils by cereulide-producing Bacillus cereus strains and the concentration of the toxin in the production process can lead to emetic poisoning, i.e. nausea and vomiting, when consumed, which is much more severe and dangerous in infants and small children than in adults. Once the extremely resistant toxin is in the product, it cannot be removed by conventional refining steps such as deodorization, acids, alkalis, leaching and filtration.
ARA oils not marketable if Cereulide is detected
With the entry into force of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/459 of the EU Commission on February 24, 2026, ARA oils from China in which cereulide is detectable, i.e. in which the content is above the limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.1 µg/kg, are de facto not marketable.
Nutriswiss AG specializes in the refining of high-quality, tailor-made edible fats and oils and refines a wide range of oils for the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. Its state-of-the-art processes not only enable the gentle refinement of oils, but also effectively reduce process impurities, pesticides, mineral oil residues, plasticizers and other harmful substances. Nutriswiss is not affected by the cereulide problem, but also refines added oils from fermentation processes for Infant Formula on behalf of customers.
New approach to purifying affected oils
The Nutriswiss R&D team received a sample of contaminated ARA oil via a supplier contact. This was used to conduct a short study to investigate how cereulide can be removed using technological measures. Frank Möllering, Head of Research & Development at Nutriswiss, is confident of achieving this goal and explains: "Through a specific combination of process steps, process conditions and various additives, we have so far succeeded in reducing the original cereulide content of the sample from 200 ppb to below 0.3 ppb during refining. This corresponds to a reduction of approx. 99.99 percent." The process sequence is now being optimized in further trials. The Nutriswiss team hopes to reach the analytical limit of quantification for the cereulide content of 0.1 ppb in the near future. By almost completely removing this chemically extremely stable contamination, affected ARA oils could then be purified and made marketable again.
Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.
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