Report of the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) in relation to the use of an antimicrobial aqueous solution containing hydrogen peroxide, acetic acid and peroxyacetic acid as a processing aid on citrus fruits and peppers, and their wash water

T he company Productos Citrosol S.A. located in Potries (Valencia), has requested a safety assessment on the use of an antimicrobial aqueous solution containing hydrogen peroxide (23 %), acetic acid (10 %) and peroxyacetic acid (5 %) as a processing aid on citrus fruits and peppers when entering processing plants, as well as the wash water. The dose requested is 0.6 % and all components (active substances and stabilizers) of the proposed processing aid are allowed or present in human food, and none of them has an ADI value. The intended use is disinfectant for citrus fruits and peppers when entering processing plants in order to minimise contamination and recontamination during this first step of the processing chain. The disinfection of wash water allows its reuse in consecutive washings of fruits and vegetables through a recirculating water system, keeping wash water in adequate conditions and reducing water consumption. These types of formulations have been evaluated by different international organizations showing that, in contact with food, active ingredients rapidly break down to non-toxic products and the remaining quantity of acetic acid occurring by decomposition of the peroxyacetic acid would pose no safety concern. They also state that hydrogen peroxide rapidly breaks down to water and oxygen in contact with food. Additionally, the use of these solutions does not seem to have an adverse effect on the nutritional content (vitamin C and b-carotene) of fruits and vegetables. Adverse effects on the protein and lipid content of the solution-treated food were not detected. The applicant has analyzed residues in the treatment wash water and in the liquids used to rinse off the fruits after the treatment with the processing aid as an indirect measure of the residues that may remain on the fruits. Using these data, and considering the worst case-scenario and the consumption of citrus fruits and peppers according to the National Survey of Dietary Intake (ENIDE), an Estimated