Abstract
This study evaluated the toxicity of food flavorings of mint, cinnamon and lemon in meristem root cells of Allium cepa, in pure form (as marketed) and in the concentrations of 12.5, 25, and 50%, after 24 and 48 hours of exposure; in Vero cell culture evaluated by MTT test and in nauplii of Artemia salina, both tests used flavorings in pure form and in the concentrations of 0.78, 1.56, 3.12, 6.25, 12.5, 25, and 50%, after 24 hours of exposure. The three flavorings, in all treatments and times of analysis considered, caused significant inhibition of cell division. However, the flavorings did not cause cellular alterations to the evaluated meristems. All evaluated treatments significantly reduced the viability of the evaluated cell line and promoted 100% lethality of A. salina nauplii. The evaluated flavorings, under the established study conditions, promoted wide and significant toxicity.
Highlights
Food additives or micro-ingredients have become mandatory in modern food, mainly because of their ability to maintain a long-time quality of food marketed in supermarkets (Xu et al, 2013; Adami & Condi, 2016)
Conferring essential organoleptic properties on processed foods, and authorized by food safety agencies, most of the flavorings used in the industry do not have established Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI), since to date there is still very little research on toxicological evaluations considering these additives (Konishi et al, 2012; Koca, Erbay, & Kaymark-Ertekin, 2015)
The present study aimed to evaluate, through different treatments or concentrations, the toxic, cytotoxic and genotoxic potentials of synthetic flavoring additives similar to the natural ones of mint, cinnamon and lemon, to the root meristem cells of A. cepa, in Vero cells evaluated via MTT test and A. salina nauplii
Summary
Food additives or micro-ingredients have become mandatory in modern food, mainly because of their ability to maintain a long-time quality of food marketed in supermarkets (Xu et al, 2013; Adami & Condi, 2016). Classified as natural, nature-identical synthetic and artificial synthetic, food flavorings have complex formulation, consisting of a variety of chemical compounds, such as diluents, antioxidants, antifoams, preservatives, emulsifiers, stabilizers, acid regulators, flavor enhancers, anti-wetting agents, anti-clogging agents, dyes, and extraction and processing solvents (Brasil, 2007) These flavoring additives are authorized worldwide by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (Xu et al, 2011), and in Brazil by the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) by means of Resolution RDC 2 of January 15th, 2007 (Brasil, 2007; Sales et al, 2017). Root meristems of Allium cepa L. are considered in the scientific environment an efficient test for the preliminary screening of the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of chemical compounds (Herrero et al, 2012; Ventura-Camargo, Angelis, & Marin-Morales, 2016) The efficiency of this bioassay is mainly because A. cepa has a reduced chromosome number (2n = 16), which allows the detection of disturbances in the cell proliferation index, and cellular alterations (Silva, Sales, Santos, & Peron, 2017). The mentioned flavorings were selected for study because they are widely found in industrialized sweets, such as candies, gums, ice cream, mousses, cookies and cakes, and because there are no studies in the literature evaluating the toxicity of these additives
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