Ethylene Oxide Sterilization Residue in Spices and Sesame (EU Recalls, EPA Carcinogen) — food safety profile
Moderate riskEthylene oxide (EtO) is used to sterilize spices, sesame seeds, herbs, and some food ingredients — kills Salmonella and other pathogens without heat damage.
What is this product?
Ethylene oxide (EtO) is used to sterilize spices, sesame seeds, herbs, and some food ingredients — kills Salmonella and other pathogens without heat damage. EtO: IARC Group 1 carcinogen (lymphoma, breast cancer). EU: maximum residue level 0.05 mg/kg (effectively zero tolerance) — triggered 1,000+ RASFF notifications and massive recalls of sesame products from India (2020-present). US: EPA tolerates 7 ppm EtO in spices (940x higher than EU limit). The US-EU regulatory divergence is among the widest for any food contaminant. Alternatives: steam sterilization, irradiation, high-pressure processing — but EtO remains cheapest and most effective for low-moisture foods.
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Sterilant
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Open in food View raw API dataReference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific information. Why we built ALETHEIA →