Caramel Colors and Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s)

Analytical Testing

At this writing, there is no method for testing corn syrup to determine whether it was derived from genetically modified (GM) corn. There is no method for testing soybean oil to determine whether it was derived from GM soybeans. So documentation of carbohydrate origin from suppliers - not empirical test results - is the only way for food and beverage processors to determine whether caramel color has a GM source.

Non-GM Options from D.D. Williamson

The standard for caramel color, as outlined by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) and United States CFR 21, allows for the nutritive sweetener to be sourced from a variety of carbohydrates. Therefore, D.D. Williamson has choices in its raw material selection for manufacturing caramel colors.

# 060 (Kosher for Passover)
# 065 (equivalent to # 050)
# 161 (equivalent to # 111)
# 168 (equivalent to # 108)
# 502 (Caramelized Sugar/ Flavor)
# 525 (red hue liquid)
# 528 (yellow hue liquid)
# 663 (equivalent to # 603)
# 808 (Organic Carmelized Rice)
# 812 (Organic Caramel Color)

Additional products are possibilities.

The products listed above that are manufactured in USA carry a price premium for sourcing carbohydrates from cane sugar instead of corn syrup. We would ask our customers to provide plenty of order lead-time for the Louisville or Modesto facilities to plan for such production.

Food Regulations in the European Union

Directive 1829/2003 concerns food and feed produced from a GMO. Directive 1830/2003 concerns traceability and labelling of GMO’s AND traceability and labelling of GMO’s of food and feed products produced from GMO’s.

The following explanation is courtesy of The World of Food Ingredients, December 2003, p. 45:

Beginning in April 2004, all ingredients that contain or consist of GMO’s , or contain ingredients processed from GMO’s, need to be labelled as such. A threshold of 0.9% applies for the accidental presence of GM material, below which labelling of food or feed is not required. There is also a 0.5% threshold for the presence of GM material that has not been approved for use in Europe, provided it has a favourable safety assesment from the European Union scientific committes. The regulations will not apply to certain food produced using GM processed aids such as some cheeses or products from animals fed GM animal feed.

Examples of Labelling in the new European Union Regulations effective April 2004 [courtesy of Dole Thailand Ltd., January 2004]

GMO-type Labelling Required under new rules?

Examples

GM plant

Chicory Yes

GM seed

Maize seeds Yes

GM food

Maize, soybean sprouts, tomato Yes

Food produced from GMO’s

Maize flour (GM, DNA, protein detectable) Yes

Highly refined maize oil, soybean oil, rape seed oil (GM, DNA, or protein not detectable) Yes

Glucose syrup prooduced from maize starch (GM, DNA, or protein not detectable) Yes

Food from animals fed on GM feed

Eggs, meat, milk, cheese No

Food produced with the help of a GM enzyme

Bakery products produced with help of amylase No

Food additive/flavouring produced from GMO’s

Highly filtered lecithin extracted from GM soybeans used in chocolate Yes

Definitions [courtesy of African Products (Pty) Limited]

The following definitions apply to foodstuffs with or without GMO’s:

GMO Free: Foodstuffs produced from a crop where no genetic modification has ever been attempted or where genetically modified crops of the particular variety have never been commerically grown, therefore eliminating any possibility of contamination with GMO material. Any testing for GMO’s should result in a zero level of GMO material being present.

Non-GMO: Foodstuffs produced from a crop where the seeds have been certitified as GMO Free, but where the possibility of accidental commingling with a genetically modified organism may occur. The product may only be classified as non-GMO if there is an identity preservation (IP) system in place that ensures that accidental commingling does not result in the appearance of more than 0.9% GMO material in a sample.

GMO: Product that has been generically modified and commercially grown as such. Product containing more than 0.9% GMO material will be classified GMO.

Background

By the 1860’s people began breeding plants through deliberate cross-pollination. They moved and selected genes to enhance the beneficial qualities of plants through cross-breeding without knowing the traits for which the genes coded. The term “genetically modified” (GM) is the application of recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid (rDNA) technology to the genetic altercation of microorganisms, plants and animals. This advanced molecular technology, developed in 1973, allows for effective and efficient transfer of genetic material from one organism to another. Benefits(1) of GM plants include:

• Increased biological resistance to specific pests and disease
• Adaptability to harsh growing conditions such as drought, soil with high salt content, and temperature extremes
• Tolerance to environmental safe herbicides
• Desirable functional characteristics such as reduced allergens or toxins, delayed ripening, etc.
• Desirable nutritional characteristics such as altered protein or fat content

(1) FOOD TECHNOLOGY, January 2000, pages 42-43.

In recent years, farmers in North and South America, Australia, and China have widely adopted genetically altered seeds to increase crop yields and reduce pesticide use.

The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations supports a science-based evaluation system that determines the benefits and risk of each individual GMO.

The Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) states that GM has a “huge potential for mankind in medicine, agriculture, and food.”

In a report dated 28 July 2004, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences concluded that genetically engineered crops do not pose health risks than cannot also arise from crops created by other techniques.

21 March 2007