Malaysia to Introduce Regulation on 3-MCPDE Compliance

The EU is expected to introduce a legislation setting a maximum tolerable limit of 2.5 ppm for 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol esters (3–MCPDEs) in vegetable oils and fats on 1 January 2021, according to Rosidah Radzian, director of product development and advisory services at the Malaysian Palm Oil Board. 
3-MCPDE is a carcinogenic process contaminant, along with glycidyl ester (GE), formed during edible oil refining, with palm oil having the highest levels among vegetable oils.  The bloc’s proposed regulations for 3-MCPD and 3 MCPDEs are 1.25 ppm for unrefined and refined oils and fats from coconut, maize, rapeseed, olive (except olive pomace oil), sunflower, soybean and palm kernel; and 2.5 ppm for other refined vegetable oils, including palm oil, olive pomace oil, and fish oil.
To pre-empt the EU legislation, Malaysia was planning to introduce regulations on 1 January 2021 for all refiners of no more than 2.5 ppm for 3-MCPDEs in refined palm oil; 1.25 ppm for 3-MCPDEs in palm kernel oil (PKO); and 1 ppm for GEs for PKO,  Radzian said. “Our time line may change if the EU delays introducing its legislation,” Radzian said. However, they are working ahead to ensure that refiners were ready when the expected EU limits are introduced. To ensure changes within the milling sector, the regulation would be introduced on 1 January 2020 banning all mills from mixing sludge oil and press fibre oil with crude palm oil (CPO).