Nutriswiss establishes gentle refining processes for organic oils

Lyss, Switzerland – Nutriswiss AG, a refiner of edible oils and fats, is using a special combination of physical refining processes to effectively purify organic oils and optimize their taste. After treatment, the oils are virtually free from process contaminants (3-MCPD, glycidol, trans fatty acids), the company said in a news release.

Mineral oil residues, plasticizers, free fatty acids and other contaminants are effectively reduced while micronutrients are preserved.

As a contract manufacturer, Nutriswiss refines a wide variety of oils for the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. Its processes enable the gentle refining of oils in compliance with European organic guidelines and other certifications such as Demeter, Bioland and BioSuisse.

In this way, oils that would be of limited suitability for further processing or trade due to intense flavours, colouration or exposure to environmental and transport contaminants become safe ingredients. Unlike conventional physical refining at high temperatures, which creates process contaminants and destroys valuable micronutrients, the thermal load in “mild refining” processes remains comparatively low. The process is therefore also suitable for sensitive raw materials such as omega-3-rich seed oils such as rapeseed or linseed oil, algae oil or other specialty oils.

Contaminants can originate during organic cultivation from exhaust gases, for example, or can enter the raw material through contact with machinery and transport circumstances. During an internal random analysis of various organic rapeseed oils in the Swiss retail market, for instance, mineral oil residues were detected. And although these contaminants were present in “acceptable” concentrations (according to the orientation values for MOH compiled by the German Food Association [Lebensmittelverband Deutschland eV] in August 2021), they are still considered to be “unwanted.”

These “mild refining” technologies allow the company to purify without the formation of process contaminants such as glycidol and 3-MCPD, for which strict limits will apply from January 2021 according to EU Regulation 2020/1322.