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Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2023-09-04"

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  • Occurrence of contaminants and food additives in the Portuguese food chain: data collection and transmission of official control samples to EFSA from 2017 to 2023
    Publication . Brazão, Roberto; Ravasco, Francisco; Tomé, Sidney; Dias, Maria da Graça
    Introduction: The collection of accurate, reliable and comparable data on food and feed is essential to monitor their safety and to support informed dietary exposure and risk assessments and management, contributing to higher consumer safety and health. The National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA) is responsible for gathering, harmonising and electronically submitting to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), according to their reporting requirements, the information on food and feed contaminants and food additives from the official control plans in Portugal and from studies performed in INSA laboratories. We aim to present the process of data collection and transmission to EFSA and the main results during the period 2017-2023 (samples collected in 2016-2022). Methodology: Annually, INSA gathers information on contaminants and additives from the official control plans of the Portuguese authorities and from INSA studies. This information was reported according to the EFSA Standard Sample Description for Food and Feed (SSD2), complemented by FoodEx2, a standardised system for classifying and describing food, to ensure data harmonisation, standardisation and quality. It were used EFSA’s Excel Tools and Catalogue Browser to facilitate the process. Results: Between 2017 and 2023, 62963 analytical results were gathered and transmitted to EFSA according to SSD2, almost entirely on contaminants (61054). These results correspond to 12214 food samples collected. During this period, of all the reported results evaluated (59021) only 0.2% (129) were non-compliant (6.3% (3942) were not evaluated because they corresponded to studies). Animal feed data were reported in 2023 but can only be accounted for next month. Conclusions: The use of the SSD2 and FoodEx2 data model and system and all other tools made available by EFSA ensure data harmonisation, standardisation, and overall quality, consistency, and reliability in the information reported. During the period under review, there was a high level of compliance (99.8%) in the results of samples collected under the Portuguese official control plans.
    2023-09-04Conference object Open access Show more
  • Investigating ingested nanomaterials’ safety – the case of TiO2 and innovative nanocelluloses.
    Publication . Vital, Nádia; Silva, Maria João; Louro, Henriqueta
    Introduction: The development of nanomaterials(NMs)-based technologies led to their increased use in key sectors and products related to food, food contact materials and feed. Many available products have NMs, as intentional constituents or contaminants from process ou food packaging release, such as silicon or titanium dioxide(TiO2) NMs. Others are being developed, like nanocelluloses(CNMs; doi:10.3390/nano12193375). However, it is recognised that the NMs’ specific physicochemical properties, conferring them unique benefi cial characteristics, can also elicit nano-bio interactions leading to toxic potential. Also, their dynamic behaviour in the surrounding matrix, may lead to secondary features determining the toxicological outcomes. Recognizing that processes like intake or digestion may modify the NMs’ characteristics leading to unexpected toxicity in human cells, EFSA included the use of in vitro digestion models in their specific guidelines concerning risk assessment of nanomaterials for food and feed(DOI:10.2903/j.efsa.2021.6768). Methodology: With the aim to contribute to the safety assessment of NMs, intestinal cell models (Caco-2 and HT29-MTX-E12 cells) were exposed to TiO2 NMs or innovative CNMs. Additionally, samples submitted previously to in vitro simulation of human digestion were used, and the genotoxicity(comet and micronucleus assays) was investigated with and without the digestion process. Results: After TiO2 NMs’ exposure, the micronucleus assay, an indicator of cancer risk, suggested eff ects on the chromosomal integrity in the HT29-MTX-E12 cells, for all the tested TiO2 NMs, especially after the in vitro digestion. Upon exposure to the two CNMs, no chromosomal damage was observed in the micronucleus assay, but the comet assay revealed DNA damage in the same cells, after 3h and 24h exposure, an effect slightly more relevant after the digestion of the cellulose nanofibril. Conclusion: Overall, the results show diff erent outcomes when using different NMs, and with/without digestion. Thus, it is important to consider the primary and secondary NMs’ characteristics determining the adverse eff ects, taking into account the human digestion for nanosafety assessment.
    2023-09-04Conference object Restricted access Show more