COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION
of 10 September 2014
on good practices to prevent and to reduce the presence of opium alkaloids in poppy seeds and poppy seed products
(Text with EEA relevance)
(2014/662/EU)
ANNEX
I.
Good agricultural practices to prevent the presence of opium alkaloids during growing, harvesting and storage
Choice of poppy plant variety
Adequate pest and disease control
Prevention of bad harvesting conditions caused by lodging of plants
Harvesting
Post-harvest conditioning
Storage
Labelling
II.
Good practices to prevent the presence of opium alkaloids during processing
Pretreatments and processing methods |
Additional conditions |
Effect |
Quantity of effect |
Washing or soaking with water |
Time (5 min) Increased time and temperature (30 s — 2 min — 30 min) in water of |
Reduction in alkaloid content |
46 % ↓ |
15 °C 60 °C 100 °C |
60 % -75 % ↓ 80 % -95 % ↓ 80 % -100 % ↓ |
||
Single washing, slightly acidic conditions |
40 % ↓ |
||
Temperature/heat treatment |
Bread baking 135 °C 220 °C 200 °C + grinding |
Reduction in alkaloid content |
~10-50 % ↓ ~30 % ↓ ~80-90 % ↓ ~90 % ↓ |
Grinding |
Oxygen (large active surface) Increased pH |
Accelerated degradation rate of morphine, formation of pseudomorphine, improved aroma of the product |
~25-34 % ↓ |
Light |
|
Minor influence on the degradation rate |
|
Combined pretreatment |
Washing, 100 °C, 1min + roasting 200 °C, 20 min |
Reduction in alkaloid content |
98-100 % ↓ |
Washing, 100 °C, 1min + drying (90 °C, 120 min) |
99 % ↓ |
||
Moisture with steam 100 °C, 10 min + drying (90 °C, 120 min) |
50-75 % ↓ |
||
Moisture 100 °C, 10min + grinding + drying (90 °C, 120 min) |
90-98 % ↓ |
||
Pretreatment + baking |
Grinding + baking |
Major reduction in alkaloid content with combination of moisture and heat pretreatment followed by dry heat treatment |
80-95 % ↓ |
Combined steam pretreatment + grinding + baking |
90-95 % ↓ |
||
Combined washing pretreatment + grinding + baking |
100 % ↓ |