Bionutricia rules out irradiation for botanical powders as EU labels must declare it

KUALA LUMPUR, 31 JULY 2026 —

Bionutricia Manufacturing Sdn Bhd will not use irradiation to sterilise its botanical powders because European Union rules require the ingredient to be labelled as irradiated, the company said.

Irradiation is effective and treats sealed packaging without heat, but the EU permits it only for dried aromatic herbs, spices and vegetable seasonings, and labels must declare it as irradiated or treated with ionising radiation. Organic buyers and clean-label brand owners typically reject irradiated ingredients even where treatment is lawful.

Ethylene oxide fumigation is not authorised for food in the EU and has caused repeated border rejections and recalls because of residue risks, including 2-chloroethanol. Bionutricia said specifications should explicitly rule out ethylene oxide with residue testing.

Saturated steam sterilisation is the mainstream compliant route: no label declaration is required, it is accepted in export markets, and it is compatible with organic certification when the process is validated. The trade-off is heat and moisture that can degrade volatile aromatics, heat-labile constituents and pigments if the cycle is over-applied.

Bionutricia said it avoids terminal treatment altogether by controlling microbial load upstream at its Sungai Buloh, Selangor facility under FSSC 22000, GMP, HACCP, JAKIM Halal, US FDA registration and MeSTI systems. Its patented enzymatic and ultrasonic extraction process (MY-188945-A) supports consistent microbial performance and high active yield. Each batch ships with a Certificate of Analysis that includes the full microbial panel.

For buyers who need written confirmation of treatment status for a specific extract, Bionutricia will provide the declaration on request.