Dependence of dietary intake estimates on the time frame of assessment

Food chemical risk management needs, among other things, assessment of exposure. For dietary intake food consumption surveys are the data source to be used. One complicating factor in the usage of these data is the dependence of dietary intake estimates on the time frame of assessment. Central to this time dependence is the within-subject...

Effect of dietary high- and low-methylated citrus pectin on the activity of the ileal microflora and morphology of the small intestinal wall of broiler chicks

1. A study was conducted with broiler chicks to evaluate the effects of dietary high-methylated citrus pectin (HMC) or low-methylated citrus pectin (LMC) on the performance, nutrient digestibility, morphology of the small intestinal wall and ileal microbial activity. 2. Both pectin products were tested at a dietary content of 30 g/kg using a...

The application of in vitro data in the derivation of the acceptable daily intake of food additives

The acceptable daily intake (ADI) for food additives is commonly derived from the NOAEL (no-observed-adverse-effect level) in long-term animal in vivo studies. To derive an ADI a safety or uncertainty factor (commonly 100) is applied to the NOAEL in the most sensitive test species. The 100-fold safety factor is considered to be the product of...

Predicting percentage of individuals consuming foods from percentage of households purchasing foods to improve the use of household budget surveys in estimating food chemical intakes

Objective: To examine the hypothesis that there is sufficient agreement between percentage of households purchasing selected foods using household budget surveys and percentage of individuals consuming these foods as determined in individual-based surveys to allow the former to act as a surrogate for the latter when estimating food chemical...

Safety assessment of lactate esters

Lactate eaters have an oral LD50 greater than 2000 mg/kg and the inhalation LC50 is generally above 5000 mg/m3 and they may be potential eye and skin irritants, but not skin sensitizers. No evidence of teratogenicity or maternal toxicity was observed in an inhalation (2-ethylhexyl-L-lactate) or dermal study (ethyl-L-lactate). Subacute inhalation...

Towards internationally acceptable standards for food additives and contaminants based on the use of risk analysis

Internationally acceptable norms need to incorporate sound science and consistent risk management principles in an open and transparent manner, as set out in the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (the SPS Agreement). The process of risk analysis provides a procedure to reach these goals. The interaction between...

Prevalence of self-reported food hypersensitivity among school children in The Netherlands

Objectives: To provide national figures on the prevalence of self-reported food hypersensitivity (S-FH), and the association with socio-demographic variables and some health indicators in schoolchildren in The Netherlands. Design: As part of the Child Health Monitoring System, data were collected from 4450 children, who were invited for a...

Isolation and characterization of the viscous, high-molecular-mass microbial carbohydrate fraction from faeces of healthy subjects and patients with Crohn's disease and the consequences for a therapeutic approach

1. An earlier study by our group revealed that the viscosity of faeces from patients with Crohn's disease is significantly lower than that of healthy subjects. This is due to low concentrations of a high-molecular-mass carbohydrate, probably of bacterial origin. The cause of this phenomenon might be the impaired barrier function of the gut...

Possible use of food consumption surveys to estimate exposure to additives

Several methods can be and are being used to assess individual food consumption. Four types, namely 24-h recall, dietary records, food frequency and dietary history are discussed. For assessing the exposure to additives it is concluded that the dietary history method is probably the best choice since this method is oriented towards a...

Safety evaluation of β-glucanase derived from Trichoderma reesei: Summary of toxicological data

Barlican, a β-glucanase enzyme obtained from Trichoderma reesei, was produced by a fermentation process and subjected to a series of toxicological tests to document its safety for use as a feed additive. The enzyme product was examined for general oral toxicity, inhalation toxicity, irritation to eye and skin, skin sensitization and mutagenic...

The SCID-hu mouse as a tool in immunotoxicological risk assessment: Effects of 2-acetyl-4(5)-tetrahydroxybutyl-imidazole (THI) and di-n-butyltin dichloride (DBTC) on the human thymus in SCID-hu mice

SCID mice engrafted with human fetal thymus and liver tissue fragments (SCID-hu mice) are currently considered as a new tool in human immunotoxicological risk assessment. Testing of various immunotoxicants exerting thymotoxicity via different intrathymic target cell types is necessary for validation of this model. Therefore, SCID-hu mice were...

Significance of the dog as 'second animal species' in toxicity testing for establishing the lowest 'no-toxic-effect level'

The toxicity data of 66 compounds adequately tested in the rat (as 'prime animal species') and in the dog (as 'second animal species') were studied to find out for how many of these compounds the study in dogs led to a lower 'no-toxic-effect level' (NTEL) than that found in the rat. From a quantitative point of view such information would...

Food additives and food components in total diets in The Netherlands

During a period of 2 years, every 2 months 126 different food items forming a 'market basket' were purchased, prepared and divided into twelve food commodity groups. The 'market basket' was based on a study of the dietary pattern of 16- to 18-year-old male adolescents. In the (homogenized) food group various additives and components of...