An immunotoxicity assessment of food flavouring ingredients

Final Report on the Safety Assessment of Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Extract, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf, and Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Water

Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Extract, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Water are obtained from the Mentha piperita plant. The oil is currently used in cosmetic formulations as a fragrance component, but previously had been also described as a denaturant. The extract and leaves are described as biological additives, but only the extract is reported to be used. Peppermint Water is described as a flavoring agent or fragrance component, but is not currently in use. Peppermint Oil is used at a concentration of ≤ 3% in rinse-off formulations and ≤ 0.2% in leave-on formulations. Peppermint Oil is composed primarily of menthol and menthone. Other possible constituents include pulegone, menthofuran, and limone. Most of the safety test data concern Peppermint Oil. The oil is considered to present the “worst case scenario” because of its many constituents, so data on the oil were considered relevant to the entire group of ingredients. Peppermint Oil was minimally toxic in acute oral studies. Short-term and subchronic oral studies reported cystlike lesions in the cerebellum in rats that were given doses of Peppermint Oil containing pulegone, pulegone alone, or large amounts (> 200 mg/kg/day) of menthone. Pulegone is also a recognized hepatotoxin. Repeated intradermal dosing with Peppermint Oil produced moderate and severe reactions in rabbits, although Peppermint Oil did not appear to be phototoxic. Peppermint Oil was negative in the Ames test and a mouse lymphoma mutagenesis assay but gave equivocal results in a Chinese hamster fibroblast cell chromosome aberration assay. In a carcinogenicity study of toothpaste and its components, no apparent differences were noted between mice treated with Peppermint Oil and those treated with the toothpaste base. Isolated clinical cases of irritation and/or sensitization to Peppermint Oil and/or its constituents have been reported, but Peppermint Oil (8%) was not a sensitizer when tested using a maximization protocol. It was expected that dermal absorption of Peppermint Oil would be rapid, following that of menthol, a major component, but in no case would be greater than absorption through the gastrointestinal tract. Because of the toxicity of pulegone, the safe concentration of this constituent was limited to ≤ 1%. This concentration was achievable both by controlling the time of harvest and processing technique. There is evidence that menthol can enhance penetration of other agents. Formulators were cautioned that this enhanced penetration can affect the use of other ingredients whose safety assessment was based on their lack of absorption. With the limitation that the concentration of pulegone in these ingredients should not exceed 1%, it was concluded that Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Extract, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaves, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Water are safe as used in cosmetic formulations.

Safety assessment of coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) essential oil as a food ingredient

Coriander essential oil is used as a flavor ingredient, but it also has a long history as a traditional medicine. It is obtained by steam distillation of the dried fully ripe fruits (seeds) of Coriandrum sativum L. The oil is a colorless or pale yellow liquid with a characteristic odor and mild, sweet, warm and aromatic flavor; linalool is the major constituent (approximately 70%). Based on the results of a 28 day oral gavage study in rats, a NOEL for coriander oil is approximately 160 mg/kg/day. In a developmental toxicity study, the maternal NOAEL of coriander oil was 250 mg/kg/day and the developmental NOAEL was 500 mg/kg/day. Coriander oil is not clastogenic, but results of mutagenicity studies for the spice and some extracts are mixed; linalool is non-mutagenic. Coriander oil has broad-spectrum, antimicrobial activity. Coriander oil is irritating to rabbits, but not humans; it is not a sensitizer, although the whole spice may be. Based on the history of consumption of coriander oil without reported adverse effects, lack of its toxicity in limited studies and lack of toxicity of its major constituent, linalool, the use of coriander oil as an added food ingredient is considered safe at present levels of use.

Linalool – a Review of a Biologically Active Compound of Commercial Importance

Since the earliest times fragrant materials have been used in rituals. Today, a lucrative industry has developed to produce and deliver fragrances and aromatic chemicals with various applications in modern society. Linalool, a much sought after compound in the flavor and fragrance industry is a monoterpene alcohol which occurs naturally in many aromatic plants. Linalool and linalool-rich essential oils are known to exhibit various biological activities such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, anti-oxidant properties and several in vivo studies have confirmed various effects of linalool on the central nervous system. The applications of linalool are not confined to simply adding or enhancing a specific scent to domestic products such as soaps, detergents and shampoos. Linalool also plays an import role in nature as a key compound in the complex pollination biology of various plant species to ensure reproduction and survival. Linalool is also a key compound for the industrial production of a variety of fragrance chemicals such as geraniol, nerol, citral and its derivatives, as well as a lead compound in the synthesis of vitamins A and E. The repellent properties of linalool on various crop-destroying insects has been well documented accentuating the application of this molecule in eco-friendly pest management. This review aims to highlight the various biological properties of linalool and to emphasize the value of linalool and linalool-rich essential oils in phytotherapy.

Risk and safety assessment on the consumption of Licorice root (Glycyrrhiza sp.), its extract and powder as a food ingredient, with emphasis on the pharmacology and toxicology of glycyrrhizin

Licorice (or 'liquorice') is a plant of ancient origin and steeped in history. Licorice extracts and its principle component, glycyrrhizin, have extensive use in foods, tobacco and in both traditional and herbal medicine. As a result, there is a high level of use of licorice and glycyrrhizin in the US with an estimated consumption of 0.027-3.6 mg glycyrrhizin/kg/day. Both products have been approved for use in foods by most national and supranational regulatory agencies. Biochemical studies indicate that glycyrrhizinates inhibit 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, the enzyme responsible for inactivating cortisol. As a result, the continuous, high level exposure to glycyrrhizin compounds can produce hypermineralocorticoid-like effects in both animals and humans. These effects are reversible upon withdrawal of licorice or glycyrrhizin. Other in vivo and clinical studies have reported beneficial effects of both licorice and glycyrrhizin consumption including anti-ulcer, anti-viral, and hepatoprotective responses. Various genotoxic studies have indicated that glycyrrhizin is neither teratogenic nor mutagenic, and may possess anti-genotoxic properties under certain conditions. The pharmacokinetics of glycyrrhizin have been described and show that its bioavailability is reduced when consumed as licorice; this has hampered attempts to establish clear dose-effect levels in animals and humans. Based on the in vivo and clinical evidence, we propose an acceptable daily intake of 0.015-0.229 mg glycyrrhizin/kg body weight/day.

The FEMA GRAS assessment of phenethyl alcohol, aldehyde, acid, and related acetals and esters used as flavor ingredients

This publication is the ninth in a series of safety evaluations performed by the Expert Panel of the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA). In 1993, the Panel initiated a comprehensive program to re-evaluate the safety of more than 1700 GRAS flavoring substances under conditions of intended use. Elements that are fundamental to the safety evaluation of flavor ingredients include exposure, structural analogy, metabolism, pharmacokinetics and toxicology. Flavor ingredients are evaluated individually and in the context of the available scientific information on the group of structurally related substances. Scientific data relevant to the safety evaluation of the use of phenethyl alcohol, aldehyde, acid, and related acetals and esters as flavoring ingredients is evaluated. The group of phenethylalcohol, aldehyde, acid, and related acetals and esters was reaffirmed as GRAS (GRASr) based, in part, on their self-limiting properties as flavoring substances in food, their rapid absorption, metabolic detoxication, and excretion in humans and other animals, their low level of flavor use, the wide margins of safety between the conservative estimates of intake and the no-observed-adverse effect levels determined from subchronic and chronic studies and the lack of significant genotoxic and mutagenic potential. This evidence of safety is supported by the fact that the intake of phenethyl alcohol, aldehyde, acid, and related acetals and esters as natural components of traditional foods is greater than their intake as intentionally added flavoring substances.

Immunotoxicology: hazard identification and risk assessment

In summary, immunotoxicology is a relatively new science that can be defined as the study of the consequences of exposure to drugs, chemicals, and environmental toxicants on the structure and function of the immune system. Laboratory animal studies over the last 20 years have clearly demonstrated as association between suppressed immune function and altered host defense. Furthermore, rodent-based screening approaches, even with their limitations, have been reasonably successful and have added to this knowledge base. The challenges for the future lie in using these data to design better prospective human exposure studies and to improve the basis for immunotoxicology risk assessment.