Roasted and popped kernels from the seeds of Euryale ferox Salisb. (makhana) (Traditional food from a third country): authorised novel food in the EU

Conditions of use and maximum levels

Table 1, column "Conditions under which the novel food may be used", as written:

• Processed nuts

Additional specific labelling requirements

The designation of the novel food on the labelling of the foodstuffs containing it shall be ‘roasted seeds of Euryale ferox’ or ‘makhana (Euryale ferox) roasted seeds’

Specification (Table 2)

Table 2 of the Annex, row with the same name, as written:

Description/Definition

The traditional food consists of the roasted and popped kernels of the seeds of the fresh plants of Euryale ferox Salisb. (family: Nymphaeaceae, commonly referred to also as prickly water lily) to be consumed as a snack. The traditional food is produced via a series of steps involving the collection, washing, and drying of the seeds, a first roasting in oil, tempering at ambient temperatures, a subsequent second roasting in oil to pop the kernels, followed by hitting of the hot seeds to release the popped kernels. The traditional food is also known as makhana or fox nuts.

Typical nutritional components:

Fat: 13,0 g/100 g

Carbohydrates: 75,0 g/100 g

Fibre: 2,5 g/100 g

Protein: 7 g/100 g

Moisture (% w/w): < 5,0

Ash: < 0,5 g/100 g

Microbiological criteria:

Total plate count: < 103 CFU/g

Total yeast and mould count: < 100 CFU/g

Total Enterobacteriaceae: < 10 CFU/g

Salmonella spp.: Absence in 25 g

Listeria monocytogenes: Absence in 25 g

Heavy metals:

Selenium: ≤ 0,8 mg/kg

Copper: ≤ 30,0 mg/kg

Lead: ≤ 0,1 mg/kg

Arsenic: ≤ 0,1 mg/kg

Cadmium: ≤ 0,1 mg/kg

Tin: ≤ 3,5 mg/kg

Mercury: ≤ 0,025 mg/kg

Mycotoxins:

Aflatoxin B1: ≤ 2,0 μg/kg

Sum of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2: ≤ 4,0 μg/kg

Ochratoxin A: ≤ 1,0 μg/kg

Citrinin: ≤ 20,0 μg/kg

Cyanotoxins:

Microcystins: ≤ 0,0015 mg/kg

Pesticides:

Pesticides: ≤ 0,01 mg/kg

Process contaminants:

Acrylamide: ≤ 40,0 μg/kg

Sum of PAHs: ≤ 10,0 μg/kg

Sum of dioxin-like PCBs: ≤ 0,35 pg/g

3-MCPD: ≤ 20,0 μg/kg

Glycidyl fatty acid esters (expressed as glycidol): ≤ 500,0 μg/kg

Sum of 3-MCPD and 3-MCPD fatty acid esters: ≤ 750,0 μg/kg

CFU: Colony Forming Units; PAHs: Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; PCBs: Polychlorinated Biphenyls; 3-MCPD: 3-MonoChloroPropane Diol.

Source and version

Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/2470, Annex, Union list of novel foods, Table 1. Consolidated text of 10 August 2026. The text above is copied from that document without change except that amendment markers are removed. It is not advice and it does not decide whether a particular product is covered.

• Consolidated text on EUR-Lex

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