In the wake of bacterial toxin cereulide contamination of infant formula in Europe, Nutriswiss AG has announced that it has developed a refining process that reduces cereulide content by 99.99%.
The company has said it can reduce levels from 200 ppb to below 0.3 ppb in trials.
Why this matters
The recent detection of the bacterial toxin cereulide in infant formula produced by several European manufacturers has sparked significant consumer distrust and prompted global recalls.
The contamination source has been traced to arachidonic acid (ARA) oils used in the formulas. ARA oils, rich in long-chain omega-6 fatty acids from non-animal sources, are essential for the development of infants' immune systems, eyes and brains.
Contamination by cereulide-producing Bacillus cereus strains can result in severe emetic poisoning with much greater risks for infants and young children than for adults.
Since cereulide is resistant to conventional removal methods, contaminated batches have had to be destroyed.
However, Nutriswiss is conducting promising trials to find effective elimination methods.
With the entry into force of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/459 of 24 February 2026, ARA oils originating from China in which cereulide is detectable — i.e. present above the limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.1 µg/kg — are effectively no longer marketable.
Nutriswiss AG specialises in refining high-quality, customised edible fats and oils for the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries.
The company uses advanced processes to gently refine oils while effectively removing contaminants such as pesticides and plasticisers. While not directly affected by the cereulide issue, Nutriswiss does refine customer-supplied oils for infant formula.
Recently, the R&D team obtained a sample of contaminated ARA oil and conducted a short study to investigate how technological measures could remove cereulide.
Frank Möllering, Head of Research & Development at Nutriswiss, said: "Through a specific combination of process steps, process conditions and various processing aids, we have so far managed to slash the original cereulide content of the sample from 200 ppb to below 0.3 ppb during refining."
"This corresponds to a reduction of approximately 99.99 per cent."
Further trials are now underway to optimise the process sequence. The Nutriswiss team hopes to reach the analytical limit of quantification for cereulide of 0.1 ppb in the near future.
By achieving near-complete removal of this chemically stable contaminant, affected ARA oils could be purified and marketability restored.