GB 5009.189-2023 National Standard for Food Safety: Determination Methods of Bongkrekic Acid in Food (English Translation Version)

Preface

This standard is an important part of China's food safety testing system, providing comprehensive specifications for the determination methods of bongkrekic acid in food. Bongkrekic acid is a potent respiratory toxin produced by Pseudomonas bacteria, which can lead to severe food poisoning incidents. With the development of the food industry and advancements in detection technology, existing standards are no longer sufficient to meet current regulatory needs.

This standard represents a complete revision and upgrade of GB 5009.189-2016 "National Standard for Food Safety: Determination Methods of Bongkrekic Acid in Food." The revision took two years and underwent multiple rounds of expert validation and laboratory verification before forming this technical specification. Compared with the 2016 version, three major improvements have been made: first, a second method—liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry—has been added that offers greater sensitivity and specificity; secondly, the scope has been expanded based on actual detection needs; finally, optimizations have been made to result calculation and expression methods within liquid chromatography to enhance scientific rigor.

The implementation of this standard will provide unified technical basis for food safety regulatory authorities, testing institutions, and food production enterprises, helping timely identify and control risks associated with bongkrekic acid contamination in foods to ensure consumer health safety. All methods listed in this standard have undergone rigorous inter-laboratory comparison verification demonstrating good repeatability and reliability.

1 Scope

This standard specifies detailed determination methods for bongkrekic acid content in various types of foods. As a potential contaminant found mainly in certain fermented or spoiled foods, detecting bongkrekic acid is crucial for ensuring food safety.

The first method involves liquid chromatography using high-performance liquid chromatographs characterized by ease-of-use and lower operational costs. This method explicitly includes high-risk categories such as tremella mushrooms and their products as well as fermented rice flour products where there’s significant risk for contamination under specific conditions requiring close monitoring.

The second method utilizes liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry which provides higher sensitivity while effectively reducing matrix interference compared to the first method's applicability range including wood ear mushrooms along with grains & their products due to identified risks during practical monitoring necessitating inclusion into standardized testing protocols.

Both prescribed methodologies complement each other allowing users flexibility based on real-world requirements regarding equipment capabilities or analytical objectives—with routine screening/batch analysis recommended via Method One whilst confirmatory tests/traces analyses should prioritize utilizing Method Two instead.