Abstract
In this work, the chemical composition of the artificial almond flavoring was investigated, as well as the toxicity of this additive against bioassays commonly used to assess the environmental risk offered by chemical compounds and/or substances. The chemical identification detected ethanol (solvent), saccharin, benzaldehyde and benzoic acid. In L. sativa and A. cepa, concentrations of 100 and 10 µL/L flavoring caused a reduction in the germination rate and inhibition of root growth. In A. cepa, at 24 and 48 hours of exposure, concentrations 100 and 10µL/L significantly reduced the division of root meristems, and concentrations 1 and 0.10 µL/L induced cellular changes and were aneugenic to plant meristems. The flavoring was highly toxic to A. salina with LC50 = 0.082 ppm. Also, by partitioning into saturated solutions of octane and water, the commercial solution of the almond presented a log Kow of 1.37. Based on the results obtained, under the established analysis conditions, the flavoring was significantly phytotoxic, cytogenotoxic and toxic, and based on Kow it is estimated to have good stability in water and soil. These results indicate that almond flavoring is a potential environmentally toxic compound.
Highlights
Flavoring additives are produced on a large scale worldwide
Artificial flavorings or those obtained by synthesis in the laboratory are the most used in developing countries, such as Brazil, due to the low cost of obtaining them, due to their significant commercialization and the efficiency offered in the aromatization of different products (Bom et al, 2019)
The results presented here demonstrated the toxic potential of almond flavoring to different species - which, added to the data in the scientific literature on the adverse effects of benzaldehyde, benzoic acid and saccharin to different organisms raise an alert to the scientific community regarding the release of this additive in the environment
Summary
In 2018, the market for these substances was valued at US $ 28.2 billion, with an estimated annual growth of 7% until 2021 (Ramesh & Muthuraman, 2018; Leffingwell & Associates, 2020). Artificial flavorings or those obtained by synthesis in the laboratory are the most used in developing countries, such as Brazil, due to the low cost of obtaining them, due to their significant commercialization and the efficiency offered in the aromatization of different products (Bom et al, 2019). Among the widely produced additives is the artificial almond flavoring. Manufacturing companies do not report the detailed chemical composition of their flavoring additives on labels and commercial websites
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