The Edible Seed and Its Toxic Twin · What the October 2026 Xuta Dossier Reveals About Genetic Identity, Phorbol-Ester Control and the Limits of Novel-Food Authorisation

A newly listed EFSA opinion on roasted and ground Xuta kernels, published on 28 October 2026, reopens an unusually instructive question in alternative-protein safety: how can a food business distinguish edible Jatropha curcas from visually indistinguishable toxic material? The answer is not a cultivar name, a heat-treatment claim or a favourable scientific opinion alone. The European Union already authorises narrowly specified hydrothermally treated edible-variety kernels, with extended flour and paste uses introduced in July 2026, but the Union-list conditions require segregation, defined processing and batch-level phorbol-ester testing. Earlier objections to a different traditional-food notification demonstrate why history of consumption cannot replace exposure characterisation. This article integrates plant genetics, analytical chemistry, protein technology, toxicology and comparative food law to examine what evidence actually travels from seed to finished product. It distinguishes the authorised product from newly assessed roasted preparations and proposes a testable, dual- verification approach combining genetic provenance, chemical release testing and process validation.