Phytochemicals from onion and garlic approved as food flavourings
4 Mar 2011
J Valverde
A group of simple aliphatic sulphides and thiols was revised by the Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids of the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) in order to determine if there any human implication of this chemically defined substances used in or on foodstuffs in the EU. This susbtances are normally used as flavourings and had been previously revised by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (the JECFA) in 2000.
The Panel concluded that the 18 substances in the JECFA flavouring group of simple aliphatic sulphides and thiols are structurally related to the group of 66 aliphatic and alicyclic mono-, di-, and polysulphides with or without additional oxygenated functional groups evaluated by EFSA in the Flavouring Group Evaluation.
The Panel agrees with the outcome of the application of the Procedure performed by the JECFA for eight of the 18 aliphatic sulphides and thiols [FL-no: 12.179, 12.198, 12.212, 12.238, 12.239, 12.255, 12.257 and 12.291].For two tertiary thiols, 2-methyl-4-oxopentane-2-thiol [FL-no: 12.169] and 2-mercapto-2-methylpentan-1-ol [FL-no: 12.241], the Panel concluded that they should not be evaluated through the Procedure, as they are structurally related to three tertiary thiols evaluated in FGE.08Rev1 which could not be evaluated through the Procedure due to concern with respect to genotoxicity in vitro.
For the eight tri- and polysulphides [FL-no: FL-no: 12.009, 12.013, 12.020, 12.023, 12.045, 12.074, 12.155 and 12.280] the Panel did not agree with the JECFA that appropiate studies were available for deriving NOAELs, and accordingly additional data are required for these eight substances.
For two substances [FL-no: 12.045 and 12.155] the JECFA evaluation is only based on MSDI values derived from production figures from the USA. EU production figures are needed in order to finalise the evaluation of these substances.
For the remaining five of the 18 JECFA evaluated simple aliphatic sulphides and thiols [FL-no: 12.179, 12.198, 12.212, 12.255 and 12.257] the Panel agrees with JECFA conclusion "No safety concern at estimated levels of intake as flavouring substances" based on the MSDI approach.
For further detials on this scientific opinion, please check the EFSA journal:
EFSA Journal 2011;9(3):1842 [42 pp.]. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2011.1842
