Abstract
This study aimed to examine the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of synthetic flavorings, nature identical, Chocolate, Strawberry and Condensed Milk. This evaluation was performed in root meristem cells of Allium cepa L., in exposure times of 24 and 48 hours and using doses of 0.2; 0.4 and 0.6 mL, in combination, in which one of the three doses of a flavoring was combined with a different dose of one of the two other flavor additives studied. Roots were fixed in Carnoy’s solution, hydrolyzed in hydrochloric acid, stained with acetic orcein and then analyzed, under light microscopy, 5,000 cells for each treatment. For data analysis, it was used Chi-square test at 5%. All the treatments with combinations between the flavorings Chocolate/Strawberry and Strawberry/Condensed Milk reduced, in both exposure times considered, cell division of A. cepa roots, proving to be cytotoxic. In turn, the treatments with the association of Chocolate/Condensed Milk did not change significantly the mitotic index of the cells analyzed. The Strawberry flavoring was the most cytotoxic among the additives tested. None of the evaluated associations was genotoxic under the study conditions.
Highlights
For several decades, food additives, such as dyes, preservatives, acidulants and flavorings, are essential for the food industry as they allow longer shelf life for processed foods without changing color, flavor, aroma and texture, among other characteristics (Lerner et al, 2015)
Flavorings are essential for the food industry, little is known about their specific chemical formulation and toxicological evaluations of marketed solutions are practically nonexistent, this study evaluated the toxicity, in A. cepa root meristematic cells, of three flavors, chocolate, strawberry and condensed milk, directly in the solutions marketed by the food industry
Synthetic, nature identical Chocolate, Strawberry and Condensed Milk flavorings were obtained from a food additive manufacturing industry located in northeastern Brazil, specialized in national and international marketing of synthetic food additives
Summary
Food additives, such as dyes, preservatives, acidulants and flavorings, are essential for the food industry as they allow longer shelf life for processed foods without changing color, flavor, aroma and texture, among other characteristics (Lerner et al, 2015). They are widely used in fast food snacks, frozen meals, industrialized desserts and canned and breaded food products. Aroma and flavor additives provide and/or enhance the aroma and flavor of foods without nutritional purpose (Moodie et al, 2013) They are classified as natural, synthetic nature-identical and artificial synthetic of reaction or processing (Pierce, Albelmann, Spicer, Adams, & Finley, 2014). They have a complex chemical formulation, consisting of eleven classes of compounds - diluents, antioxidants, defoamers, preservatives, emulsifiers, stabilizers, acidity
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