AZE.US
Azerbaijan’s food safety authorities have detected a potentially harmful substance in samples of vegetable oil produced by several foreign manufacturers, prompting restrictions on imports of some products.
According to Baku TV, laboratory tests conducted by the Azerbaijan Food Safety Agency, or AQTA, identified 3-MCPD, a chemical compound that can form during the high-temperature processing and refining of vegetable oils.
Food expert and doctor of technical sciences Elsavar Farzaliyev said the substance may appear when technological processing conditions are not properly controlled, particularly during heating and oil extraction.
Long-term exposure to elevated levels of 3-MCPD and related compounds may negatively affect human health, with the kidneys and liver among the organs of particular concern, experts said. Farzaliyev also said excessive exposure could affect the male reproductive system.
Another specialist interviewed by Baku TV said prolonged and regular exposure could contribute to kidney damage and noted that scientific studies have also examined a possible association between such contaminants and cancer risk.
The actual health risk, however, depends on the concentration of the substance in a product and the amount consumed over time. The presence of 3-MCPD does not by itself mean that every affected product poses an immediate health threat.
Consumers were advised to check product labels, country of origin and manufacturer information when buying vegetable oil and to avoid products of unclear origin or suspiciously low price.
AQTA said inspections and control measures involving products found to be non-compliant would continue.
The Baku TV reports did not identify the specific brands or foreign manufacturers affected by the import restrictions.
AZE.US