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09.12.2024 - Foods

Food safety: Coumarin in cinnamon stars – hardly any exceedances of the maximum level

Cinnamon stars, gingerbread, and other cinnamon delights are particularly popular during the pre-Christmas season. However, the aroma compound coumarin found in cinnamon can lead to liver inflammation in sensitive individuals if consumed excessively. To protect consumers, a maximum amount of 50 mg/kg for coumarin in cinnamon-containing foods has been established.

The Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety (LGL) investigated a total of 132 samples of cinnamon stars in the years 2022, 2023, and 2024 (as of week 47). The finding was: only in 3% of the cases was the permissible maximum amount exceeded.

All 52 samples from retail and large bakeries complied with the requirement of 50 mg/kg. In the 80 artisan samples, four cases (three from 2022 and one from 2023) were found where the limits were exceeded and were reported. Particularly positive: no coumarin could be detected at all in 25 artisan cinnamon stars.

What is Coumarin?

Coumarin is a natural component with a sweet, vanilla-like, spicy aroma. It is found, among others, in sweet woodruff, tonka beans, and various types of cinnamon. The coumarin content in foods depends significantly on the type of cinnamon used.

Ceylon cinnamon (from Sri Lanka, South India, Madagascar, or Brazil) contains only minimal amounts of coumarin.
Cassia cinnamon (from China and Indonesia), on the other hand, can contain over 1000 mg/kg of coumarin.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) recommend a tolerable daily intake (TDI) of 0.1 mg of coumarin per kilogram of body weight. However, a short-term exceedance of this value is considered harmless.

The LGL – Food Safety in Focus

The Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety (LGL) is the central specialist authority of the Free State of Bavaria for topics such as food safety, health, and occupational safety. True to the "One Health approach," the LGL combines knowledge from various disciplines such as human and veterinary medicine, food chemistry, or biology.

In our Tentamus laboratories, we regularly conduct tests for coumarin. We provide you with fast and reliable results. For questions, our customer advisors are happy to assist you.

Source: www.lgl.bayern.de