EFSA cannot establish the safety of spray-dried house cricket powder: MOAH above 1 mg/kg, high Bacillus cereus counts and diverging chitin results from different methods
On 25 September 2026 EFSA published the NDA Panel’s opinion on spray-dried house cricket (Acheta domesticus) powder notified as a novel food. The Panel concluded that the safety of the product under the proposed uses cannot be established, pointing among other things to mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons, phthalates and microbiological quality.
- The MOAH content (chain lengths up to C50, expressed as 1-methylnaphthalene equivalents) exceeds the limit of 1 mg/kg proposed by the European Commission, which the Panel considers a safety concern. The phthalates DIBP, DBP, DEHP, DINP and DIDP were determined in 5 batches with an in-house GC-MS/MS method — all below 2 mg/kg — but their source cannot be determined.
- Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter spp., Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were not detected in 10 batches, but total microbial counts varied widely and presumptive Bacillus cereus reached 1.3 × 10⁴ CFU/g. The applicant proposed a limit below 10⁵ CFU/g; the Panel considered that a much stricter one, e.g. below 10² CFU/g, is needed.
- Chitin determined with three methods ranged from about 2.5 to 10.3 g/100 g for the same batches; only the UPLC-ESI-MS method gave results within the proposed 4–8% specification, while the gravimetric method gave non-compliant values. The Panel considered that the method must be stated explicitly in the specification.
- For comparison, Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/5, which authorised partially defatted Acheta domesticus powder, sets among others a total aerobic microbial count ≤ 10⁵ CFU/g, yeasts and moulds ≤ 100 CFU/g, presumptive Bacillus cereus ≤ 100 CFU/g, and absence of Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes in 25 g.