Biopersistence rate of metallic nanoparticles in the gastro-intestinal human tract (stage 0 of the EFSA guidance for nanomaterials risk assessment)

Abstract

The European Food Safety Authority has published a guidance regarding risk assessment of nanomaterials in food and feed. Following these recommendations, an in vitro gastrointestinal digestion has been applied to study the biopersistence of TiO2 and Ag NPs in standards, molluscs and surimi. TiO2 NPs standards and TiO2 NPs/ TiO2 microparticles from E171 were not found to be degraded. Ag NPs proved to be more degradable than TiO2 NPs, but the biopersistence rates were higher than 12%, which means that Ag NPs are also biopersistent. Findings for seafood are quite similar to those obtained for TiO2 NPs and Ag NPs standards, although the calculation of the biopersistence rate proposed by the EFSA was not found to be straightforward for foodstuff (the use of the NPs concentration in the sample instead of the NPs concentration at initial time (sample mixed with the gastric solution before enzymatic hydrolysis) has been proposed.