EFSA Concludes Common Food Flavoring Could Cause Liver Damage
28 Jul 2015 --- The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has deemed the flavouring substance p-Mentha-1,8-dien-7-al (also called “Perilla aldehyde”) to be genotoxic (damaging to DNA) in a new study on animals, evaluated by EFSA’s experts. The findings raise concerns for nine further chemical that are structurally similar.
In 2002, an international evaluation of Perilla aldehyde as a food flavouring found it to be “no safety concern at current levels of intake”. In 2008, the European Commission asked EFSA to re-evaluate this substance as part of the evaluation of all food flavourings authorised for use in the EU.
The flavouring industry first submitted data for this flavouring substance in 2012 following an EFSA request. EFSA’s experts then concluded in 2013 that the substance was potentially genotoxic and requested an additional study to determine the potential effects on the liver and stomach. The new study submitted in 2014 is the focus of the current EFSA opinion, which concludes that Perilla aldehyde induces DNA damage in the liver. EFSA’s experts noted, however, some weaknesses in the historical control data (i.e. concerning the test animals not exposed to the specific substance under examination) of the laboratory that carried out this test.
Under the EU system devised to evaluate flavourings, Perilla aldehyde is also a proxy for evaluating nine other structurally similar chemicals known collectively as “alicyclic aldehydes”. EFSA’s experts, therefore, indicate there is also a potential safety concern for these other substances unless further evidence proves otherwise.
EU risk managers will consider how to best use EFSA’s scientific opinion in weighing up possible follow-up measures.
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