Edible jatropha (Chuta) also as flour and paste, up to 30 g/100 g: every seed lot is tested for phorbol esters before dehulling by UHPLC-UV-MS (limit of detection 0.75 µg TPA eq/g) according to a sampling table
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1378, published on 24 June 2026, amends the entry “kernels (edible variety) of Jatropha curcas L.” in the Union list of novel foods: it authorises flour and paste from ground kernels, raises the maximum level in cereal bars, breakfast cereals and dried fruit from 5 to 30 g/100 g and widens the fat range in the specification from 54–61 % to 54–64 %. For 5 years from 14 July 2026 the extended conditions of use are reserved to Chuta Nut GmbH of Ulm.
- The edible jatropha variety cannot be told apart from the non-edible one by appearance, so every seed lot is tested after drying and before dehulling. Five laboratory samples are taken from each aggregate sample, dehulled, ground and analysed with a validated UHPLC-UV-MS method; only lots in which phorbol esters are not detected in any of the five samples go on to further processing. Limit in the specification: ≤ 0.75 µg TPA (12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate) equivalent per gram of kernel, equal to the limit of detection.
- Sampling table A: lot ≥ 500 t — sublots of 100 t and 100 incremental samples; above 10 t to below 500 t — 5 sublots and 100 incremental samples; above 5 to 10 t — 80; above 1 to 5 t — 60; above 0.1 to 1 t — 30; up to 0.1 t — 10. Samples are taken from each sublot separately; the aggregate sample consists of at least 10 incremental samples and weighs at least 3.5 kg.
- EFSA (opinion e9706) assessed 5 batches each of flour and paste from two farms in Paraguay; fat in the flour was 61.4–63.3 %, i.e. above the former 61 % limit. For the exposure assessment it assumed phorbol esters at twice the limit of detection (1.5 µg/g) — the lowest margin of exposure (MoE) was 190 in young children and 465 in adults, which EFSA considered sufficient. An oxidation test at 60, 80 and 100 °C under 5 bar of oxygen gave an estimated shelf life of 4.3 years for the flour and 5.6 years for the paste at 25 °C.
- Rest of the specification: moisture ≤ 3 %, protein 21–32 %, dietary fibre 6–10 %, ash 3–5 %, lead and cadmium ≤ 0.20 mg/kg, sum of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 ≤ 4.0 µg/kg, Listeria monocytogenes ≤ 100 cfu/g, Salmonella absent in 25 g; the kernels undergo hydrothermal treatment above 120 °C for 40 minutes. The applicant also studied acrylamide formation in bakery products with 10 and 30 % Chuta flour.