Monochloramine (MCA) is used to sanitize water and can be used in the production of e.g. starch from wheat flour. Whenever a small concentration of MCA is added in the production stream we find 2-chloroethanol in the final dried food product. 2-chloroethanol is a pesticide residu which most of the time comes from e.g. the unauthorized use of ethylene oxide. Chloride and chlorine is reacting with ethylene oxide resulting in the formation of 2-chloroethanol.
However, in our case the 2-chloroethanol residues we find are due to the addition of MCA. When MCA is not added, we do not find 2-chloroethanol residues (below limit of quantification and detection).
I add a file describing what happens with MCA at alkaline pH. However, in the starch process the pH is slightly acidic (pH 6 to 7) and temperature is 30-40 C.
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