Safety of smoke flavour Primary Product Smoke Concentrate 809045

SUMMARY The European Food Safety Authority has been asked to provide scientific opinions on the safety of smoke flavouring Primary Products used or intended for use in or on foods. This opinion concerns a smoke flavouring Primary Product, named Smoke Concentrate 809045. Smoke Concentrate 809045 is obtained from beech wood of the tree species Fagus sylvatica L. 2 In the process of publication of this opinion, Table 3 had been deleted by mistake. In the current version, it is reintroduced , consistently with the opinion adopted by the Panel. The numbering of the following tables has been changed correspondingly. These changes do not affect the overall conclusions of the opinion. 3 Ivonne Rietjens declared in her ADoI that she is advising FEMA on flavourings. In January 2009 she informed the Secretariat that FEMA also assesses smoke flavourings but also that she has never been involved in smoke flavourings evaluations there. According to EFSA Policy on DoI, that activity does not represent a conflict of interest. Upon request from the Secretariat, she updated accordingly her ADoI in May 2009. Therefore, an addendum to the minutes of the 4 th CEF Plenary meeting (26-29 January 2009) and to the scientific opinions is introduced a posteriori to clarify this issue. 4 Karl-Heinz Engel has declared an interest as a student in his laboratory is paid with a grant of Symrise. As the funding is going to the University and as the subject of the work is not related to Smoke Flavourings, this is not a conflict. The production of Smoke Concentrate 809045 comprises the following steps: (i) smouldering pieces of wood under controlled conditions, (ii) condensing the released smoke, (iii) separation of the liquid phase from the tar, (iv) treatment with activated carbon, (v) distillation, and (vi) filtration. Essential process parameters have been provided by the applicant. The water content of the Primary Product is estimated as 11 wt. %. The volatile fraction accounts for 40 wt. % of the Primary Product; 78 % of the volatile fraction have been identified. The total identified mass represents 52 wt. % of the Primary Product, corresponding to 59 % of the solvent-free mass. Considering the measurement uncertainties of the analytical methods and the variations in the batch-to-batch variability the Panel considered that these values could be regarded as to be in compliance with the requirements of Commission Regulation (EC) 627/2006. The concentrations of the 15 …