Abstract
Food additive amorphous silicon dioxide (SiO2) particles are manufactured by two different methods—precipitated and fumed procedures—which can induce different physicochemical properties and biological fates. In this study, precipitated and fumed SiO2 particles were characterized in terms of constituent particle size, hydrodynamic diameter, zeta potential, surface area, and solubility. Their fates in intestinal cells, intestinal barriers, and tissues after oral administration in rats were determined by optimizing Triton X-114-based cloud point extraction (CPE). The results demonstrate that the constituent particle sizes of precipitated and fumed SiO2 particles were similar, but their aggregate states differed from biofluid types, which also affect dissolution properties. Significantly higher cellular uptake, intestinal transport amount, and tissue accumulation of precipitated SiO2 than of fumed SiO2 was found. The intracellular fates of both types of particles in intestinal cells were primarily particle forms, but slowly decomposed into ions during intestinal transport and after distribution in the liver, and completely dissolved in the bloodstream and kidneys. These findings will provide crucial information for understanding and predicting the potential toxicity of food additive SiO2 after oral intake.
Highlights
Amorphous silicon dioxide (SiO2) is widely applied to the food industry as a food additive—for example, as a thickener, anticaking agent, carrier for fragrances and flavors, chillproofing agent in beer, or filter aid [1,2]
We developed a cloud point extraction (CPE) approach to separate SiO2 NPs captured in Triton X-114 (TX-114)-based micelles from biomatrices
The constituent particle sizes and size distributions of two differently manufactured SiO2 particles were measured via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM)
Summary
Amorphous silicon dioxide (SiO2) is widely applied to the food industry as a food additive—for example, as a thickener, anticaking agent, carrier for fragrances and flavors, chillproofing agent in beer, or filter aid [1,2]. The United States Food and Drug Administration regulates that the level of SiO2 cannot exceed 2% by weight of the food, whereas it can be added in the amount necessary to obtain its intended functionality as an indirect additive [3]. It is registered as food additive E551 in the European Union, and its maximum levels in dried, powdered foods and tablet foods are authorized at 10 g/kg and quantum satis level, respectively [4]. Current specifications do not include the particle size distribution nor the percentage of NPs in SiO2 [3,8]
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