Allergy sufferers have been afraid of the tasty sesame for a long time, but reports about poisoned batches from India are also causing great concern among consumers in Germany.
Munich - The importance of the
sesame plant species
for human evolution cannot be overestimated.
The oil plant was cultivated about 5000 years ago and has been used as a spice and for the production of sesame oil ever since
in use.
The plant originally comes from India, where it is still grown in abundance today.
Since last September there have been increasing reports of
ethylene oxide residues in
samples taken from sesame seeds from India.
The dangerous and potentially carcinogenic active ingredient may have been used in pesticides.
After the recall of more than 40 sesame products in Germany,
Stiftung Warentest has
now found the true extent of the contamination.
Stiftung Warentest takes a close look at 44 sesame products
Sesame is a popular ingredient on bagels, snacks and the main ingredient in the
tahini seasoning paste
or in the halva confectionery specialty.
Pressed into oil, sesame seeds are used raw or cooked.
It is one of the foods richest in selenium, contains a considerable amount of calcium and is used for
therapeutic purposes
outside of the kitchen
.
The frequent cases of polluted
sesame seeds
have given the image of the Indian plants a serious scratch.
The small seeds had been feared as a source of danger for allergy sufferers for ages.
Even the consumption of the smallest amounts can cause violent reactions in sensitive people - up to and including death.
Ethylene oxide is extremely dangerous and can cause cancer
Although the use of ethylene oxide is completely banned in the EU, it is used as a plant protection product in other parts of the world.
The
chemical
is toxic and carcinogenic.
Short-term symptoms in humans include headache, dizziness, and nausea.
In worse cases, it can cause twitching and convulsions up to a comatose state.
In Germany, ethylene oxide has been
banned
in the
food
sector since 1981
.
The residues of the carcinogenic gas found in sesame have led to recalls of various products on the market in recent months.
+
After a wave of recall for products with sesame seeds, Stiftung Warentest food tested for toxic residues.
(Symbol image)
© imago-images
A popular Italian product was recently recalled in the Czech Republic.
In the
EU rapid-warning-system
for food and feed have been reported more than 450 finds since September.
The Stiftung Warentest took this as an opportunity to take a closer look at popular sesame products.
Sesame products tested for ethylene oxide residues by Stiftung Warentest
The test institute examined 44 different sesame products that are available in German retail outlets for residues of the carcinogenic and highly toxic gas ethylene oxide.
The
result of the samples taken was
positive in the vast majority of cases.
A total of 40 products found no complaints from Stiftung Warentest and can be consumed without hesitation.
In four sesame seeds, however, extremely worrying
excesses of
the permissible maximum value were found - they pose a real threat to health.
Exceeding the maximum level of pollutants in four products
A total of 34 sesame seeds are barely tolerable for a person weighing 60 kilograms from the most contaminated product, according to information from
Stiftung Warentes
t.
The
Heera
brand
shot the bird in their test
of the British Asian food supplier P&B: only 84 milligrams can be absorbed by the body with virtually no risk.
The depressing rating is therefore “
poor
” for the sesame seeds from
Heera
.
With 91 times the maximum level, the grilled sesame seeds from the Dutch company Migro-Hal, which is sold under the brand name
Anatolia
, also have no fame.
The sesame seeds of the brands
Bamboo Garden Japan
(white roasted) and
TRS Asia's Finest Foods are
comparatively less contaminated with pollutants
when the maximum content is exceeded 14 times or 16 times
.
Stiftung Warentest awarded all of
the
named products
the rating “poor”.
Background:
Since autumn of last year there have been several recalls in a short time due to the chemical residues in sesame.
Four different muesli recalls * were affected.
Two bread baking mixes also had to be taken off the market.
* Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network (key)
List of rubric lists: © imago-images