China has issued a draft revision of national food safety standard GB 14752 for food additive Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), replacing the 2010 version, and opened it for public consultation. The revised standard applies to riboflavin produced through biological fermentation (using grains, sugars, molasses, fruit pulp, or plant oils) as well as chemical synthesis, and clearly includes its use as a food nutrition fortifier.
Key updates include:
1.Simplification of sensory requirements while retaining essential characteristics (orange-yellow colour, crystalline powder, slight odor).
2.The parameter residue on ignition has been replaced with sulfated ash (?0.3%) for improved accuracy.
3.Safety controls are strengthened by introducing a lead limit of ?1.0 mg/kg and a new requirement for related substances using chromatographic methods to monitor impurities.
4.The general heavy metals limit has been removed in favor of targeted contaminant controls, while the arsenic limit (?2.0 mg/kg) remains with updated test methods.
5.Quality specifications remain strict: purity must be 98.0%102.0% (dry basis), loss on drying ?1.5%, optical rotation between ?120 and ?140, and photolumiflavin impurities ?0.025.
The draft also clarifies permitted excipientssuch as microcrystalline cellulose, shellac, pectin, calcium chloride, sodium alginate, and mono- and diglyceridesprovided they meet relevant safety standards and declared content requirements.
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