Dioxins & Furans Sampling and Testing Services

Dioxins and furans are a group of highly toxic, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) formed as unintentional by-products of industrial processes, combustion, and certain food-processing activities. These compounds are environmentally stable, bioaccumulative, and capable of entering the food chain through soil, water, air deposition, and feed contamination.

Due to their extreme toxicity even at trace levels, dioxins and furans pose serious risks to human and animal health and are strictly regulated worldwide. Food categories such as meat, dairy, fish, oils, animal feed, and infant foods are particularly vulnerable to contamination.

Eurofins provides end-to-end dioxin and furan sampling and testing services through its global network of ISO/IEC 17025-accredited laboratories. Using ultra-trace analytical technologies, validated sampling protocols, and expert regulatory interpretation, Eurofins supports food, feed, and environmental stakeholders in achieving compliance, protecting public health, and maintaining export readiness.

Why Dioxin & Furan Testing Is Critical

Dioxins and furans accumulate in fatty tissues and persist for years, making prevention and monitoring essential across the entire supply chain. Eurofins testing services help organizations to:

Detect ultra-trace contamination at parts-per-trillion (ppt) levels
Meet stringent regulatory limits set by EU, WHO, Codex, and national authorities
Prevent bioaccumulation in animal-derived foods and feed
Avoid import rejections, recalls, and reputational damage
Demonstrate due diligence and compliance during audits and inspections

Routine monitoring is particularly important as contamination can occur without visible indicators and may originate far upstream from the finished product.

What Are Dioxins and Furans

Compound Group	Description	Key Characteristics
PCDDs (Dioxins)	Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins	Highly toxic, persistent, fat-soluble
PCDFs (Furans)	Polychlorinated dibenzofurans	Similar toxicity and behavior to dioxins
DL-PCBs	Dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls	Additive toxicity with dioxins

Dioxins and furans include several structurally related compounds with similar toxicological properties. Their toxicity is expressed using Toxic Equivalency Factors (TEFs) and reported as WHO-TEQ.

Common Sources of Dioxin and Furan Contamination

Source Category	Typical Pathways
Environmental	Air deposition, contaminated soil and sediments
Feed Materials	Contaminated fats, fish meal, mineral additives
Industrial Processes	Waste incineration, metal processing, chlorine bleaching
Food Processing	Drying, smoking, open-flame heating
Packaging & Storage	Contact with contaminated materials

Eurofins sampling strategies are designed to trace contamination back to its source and prevent recurrence.

Products Commonly Tested

Eurofins conducts dioxin and furan testing across a wide range of matrices, including:

Meat and meat products
Milk, butter, cheese, and dairy powders
Fish, seafood, and fish oils
Edible oils and fats
Eggs and egg products
Infant formula and baby foods
Animal feed and feed additives
Environmental samples (soil, water, air deposition)

Health and Safety Risks

Dioxins and furans are classified as known human carcinogens and endocrine disruptors. Long-term exposure is associated with:

Cancer risk
Immune system suppression
Reproductive and developmental toxicity
Hormonal disruption
Liver and skin disorders

Because exposure is primarily dietary, food and feed monitoring is a critical public health measure.

Regulatory and Compliance Framework

Standards and regulations

Dioxins and Furans are toxic chemicals that can accumulate in food, especially in fatty products like dairy, meat, and fish. Regulation (EU) 2023/915 sets maximum limits for these substances in various foods to protect public health. For dairy products, the limits are 2.0 pg for dioxins and 4.0 pg for dioxin-like PCBs per gram of fat. These regulations help ensure safe levels of these pollutants in food.

Product Category	Dioxins (pg WHO-PCDD/F-TEQ/g)	Dioxins & Dioxin-like PCBs (pg WHO-PCDD/F-PCB-TEQ/g)	Non-Dioxin-like PCBs (ng/g)
Meat and Meat Products
Bovine, Ovine, and Caprine Animals	2.5 pg/g fat	4.0 pg/g fat	40 ng/g fat
Pigs	1.0 pg/g fat	1.25 pg/g fat	40 ng/g fat
Poultry	1.75 pg/g fat	3.0 pg/g fat	40 ng/g fat
Horse	5.0 pg/g fat	10.0 pg/g fat	-
Wild Game (Boar, Birds, Cervidae, etc.)	2.0–5.0 pg/g fat	4.0–10.0 pg/g fat	-
Liver and Derived Products
Bovine, Caprine, Pigs, Poultry, Horse	0.30–0.50 pg/g wet weight	3.0 ng/g wet weight	-
Ovine	1.25–2.0 pg/g wet weight	3.0 ng/g wet weight	-
Wild Game Birds	2.5–5.0 pg/g wet weight	3.0 ng/g wet weight	-
Fishery Products
Fish (except specified)	3.5 pg/g wet weight	6.5 pg/g wet weight	75 ng/g wet weight
Freshwater Fish (Wild-caught)	3.5 pg/g wet weight	6.5 pg/g wet weight	125 ng/g wet weight
Spiny Dogfish, Eel, etc.	3.5–10.0 pg/g wet weight	6.5–10.0 pg/g wet weight	200–300 ng/g wet weight
Fish Liver	-	20.0 pg/g wet weight	200 ng/g wet weight
Dairy Products
Raw Milk and Dairy Products (Including Butter Fat)	2.0 pg/g fat	4.0 pg/g fat	40 ng/g fat
Eggs and Egg Products	2.5 pg/g fat	5.0 pg/g fat	40 ng/g fat
Vegetable Oils and Fats	0.75 pg/g fat	1.25 pg/g fat	40 ng/g fat
Food for Infants and Young Children	0.1 pg/g wet weight	0.2 pg/g wet weight	1.0 ng/g wet weight

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02023R0915-20240722

Eurofins testing methods are fully aligned with all major international regulatory frameworks.

Eurofins Dioxins & Furans Testing Capabilities

Sampling Services

Representative sampling for food, feed, and environmental matrices
Chain-of-custody and contamination-controlled protocols
Composite and targeted sampling strategies

Advanced Analytical Technologies

HRGC-HRMS for ultra-trace detection
WHO-TEQ calculation for toxic equivalency
Confirmatory analysis for regulatory enforcement

Detection Performance

ppt-level sensitivity
Full congener profiling
High accuracy and reproducibility

Eurofins Compliance Workflow

Step	Objective	Eurofins Solution
Sampling	Accurate representation	Validated field protocols
Screening	Early risk identification	High-resolution analysis
Quantification	Regulatory compliance	WHO-TEQ reporting
Interpretation	Risk assessment	Expert scientific review
Reporting	Audit readiness	Digital CoA and compliance support

Emerging Risks and Industry Trends

Trend	Implication
Climate-driven environmental shifts	Changes in contamination patterns
Increased use of recycled materials	Higher risk of cross-contamination
Global feed sourcing	Complex contamination pathways
Lower regulatory limits	Need for ultra-sensitive testing
Consumer transparency	Greater demand for documented safety

Eurofins continuously updates its testing strategies to address these evolving risks.

Case Study: Restoring Compliance in Animal Feed Supply

A multinational feed producer faced repeated EU non-compliance due to elevated dioxin levels in compound feed. Eurofins conducted targeted raw material testing and identified contaminated fatty acid additives as the root cause. By implementing supplier qualification, routine HRGC-HRMS monitoring, and revised sourcing controls, dioxin levels were reduced below EU limits within two production cycles, restoring market access and regulatory confidence.

Why Choose Eurofins

Global ISO/IEC 17025-accredited laboratory network
Gold-standard HRGC-HRMS technology
Expertise in food, feed, and environmental contaminants
Regulatory intelligence and export support
Rapid turnaround with harmonized global reporting
Trusted partner for complex contamination challenges

Protect your products, consumers, and brand with Eurofins’ advanced dioxins and furans sampling and testing services. Our experts work with you to design risk-based monitoring programs that ensure regulatory compliance and long-term supply chain integrity.

Partner with Eurofins your trusted pathway to compliant, export-ready food

Enquire now: www.eurofins.in/food-testing/enquire-now/