Policy, toxicology and physicochemical considerations on the inhalation of high concentrations of food flavour

Abstract

Food flavour ingredients are required by law to obtain prior approval from regulatory bodies, such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in terms of toxicological data and intended use levels. However, there are no regulations for labelling the type and concentration of flavour additives on the product, primarily due to their low concentration in food and generally recognised as safe (GRAS) status determined by the flavour and extract manufacturers’ association (FEMA). Their status for use in e-cigarettes and other vaping products challenges these fundamental assumptions, because their concentration can be over ten-thousand times higher than in food, and the method of administration is through inhalation, which is currently not evaluated by the FEMA expert panel. This work provides a review of some common flavour ingredients used in food and vaping products, their product concentrations, inhalation toxicity and aroma interactions reported with different biological substrates. We have identified several studies, which suggest that the high concentrations of flavour through inhalation may pose a serious health threat, especially in terms of their cytotoxicity. As a result of the wide range of possible protein-aroma interactions reported in our diet and metabolism, including links to several non-communicable diseases, we suggest that it is instrumental to update current flavour- labelling regulations, and support new strategies of understanding the effects of flavour uptake on the digestive and respiratory systems, in order to prevent the onset of future non-communicable diseases.

Probing the effect of aroma compounds on the hydrodynamic properties of mucin glycoproteins

“…4 ). Although they are not directly used as food flavourings, they can be found in a range of medicines or as bi-products generated during heating of e-cigarette aerosol (Dinu et al 2020 ). Changes in the sedimentation coefficient of BSM upon the addition of guaiacol, p-cresol and m-cresol suggest the formation of a smaller mucin components with a lower sedimentation coefficient, suggesting that phenols act as some type of molecular chaotropes.…”

“…The aroma ingredients added to improve the flavour of food and other consumer products are generally recognized as safe (GRAS), and are approved for use in food, pharmaceutics and cosmetics. However, recent applications of flavour technologies led to a significant variation in the concentrations of aroma compounds in a range of products (Dinu et al 2020 ). Electronic cigarettes are a prime example of a product in which the concentration of aroma compounds can exceed 5% of the entire formulation (50,000 ppm), which is approximately 10,000 times higher than the typical concentration of aroma compounds found in fruit.…”

Investigation of the role of the autophagic protein LC3B in the regulation of human airway epithelium cell differentiation in COPD using a biomimetic model

“…When motile cilia were enriched, mucus accumulation between the cilia may not have been eliminated in nondynamic culture. Although we combined IVM with S -(carboxymethyl)-L-cysteine and guaiacol glycerol ether to remove the mucus [ 51 , 52 ], there was no significant increase in the frequency of cilia beating ( Supplementary Fig. 5 ).…”

Oral enzymatic detoxification system: Insights obtained from proteome analysis to understand its potential impact on aroma metabolization

“…For instance, aldehydes are highly reactive due to their functional group that enable them to undergo various reactions including covalent adducts with biomolecules (O'Brien et al, 2005). However, the low concentration at which they are present in foods (usually below the "no-adverse-effect-level" NOAEL concentration) generally precludes any harmful effects (Dinu et al, 2020), although their metabolization by XME is possible.…”