Mineral Oil Contamination in Food: A Comprehensive Journey beyond the Hump

The presence of mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOH) in foods and their potential risk to human health is an open and challenging issue in the food field. Although its occurrence in food is known since the 90s, it is only in the last 10-15 years that it has become the object of more intense studies to understand its toxicological relevance, to optimize more reliable methods, and to legislate upon its presence in food. Nevertheless, many gaps remain, linked both to analytical aspects and risk assessment.
The goal of this lecture is to give an overview of the state of the arts regarding toxicology, risk assessment, mitigation and analytical determination, highlighting the existing gaps and future perspectives. Particular emphasis is given to the evolution of the analytical methods over the years and the challenges related to sample preparation and analytical determination.