Yle’s testing revealed that more than half of the salmiakki and licorice sweets tested contained matrine, a substance banned by the EU. The substance has not been found to be dangerous to health.
in Finland up to 40 times the amount of a substance banned by the EU was found in the manufactured sweets, Over reported on Thursday.
It is a matrin present in salmiakki and licorice candies. The dangerousness of the substance has not been proven in studies, but the EU has banned its use just to be sure, Yle news reports.
Matrine was found in sweets whose raw material is licorice extract.
Yle tested the contents of ten salmiakki and licorice candies and found more matrin in six products than the regulation on pesticide residues allows. The maximum amount allowed by the EU pesticide regulation for matrine in food is 0.01 mg/kg.
Among the products tested, these products contained matrin above the permitted concentration limit: Fazer Licorice Soft Original, Fazer Super Salmiakki, Halva Salmiakkiruutsi, Kouvola Licorice Lakupaloja, Kouvola Licorice Salmiakkilakritsi and Malaco Sisu Xylitol Salmiakki.
Authorities do not monitor the matrix content of salmiakki or licorice sweets. Licorice extract and powder are the responsibility of the manufacturers and rely on their own supervision.
According to the news, confectionery manufacturers have been aware of the possible matric acid in licorice extract, but since the discovery of the substance can lead to the recall of an entire batch of confectionery, it does not encourage companies to test their raw materials themselves.
Matrine has not been found to be dangerous to health. Research on the use of the substance in foodstuffs is in progress. As a medicinal substance, matrine has been found to have beneficial and harmful effects.
Special expert of the Food Agency Arja Heinonen according to the news, if used in small amounts, the consumer probably does not need to worry, even though the EU’s risk assessment of matriline has not been done yet, the news reports.
In the story of Helsingin Sanomat in August, it was reported about salmiak sold in pharmacies that matrine can end up in licorice from a plant of the Sophora genus, or it can come from the use of pesticides. In terms of potential health hazards, it is not important where the matrix residue comes from, Heinonen said in the story.
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