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Toxics
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Risk Assessment of Food Contact Materials/Articles
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Risk Assessment of Food Contact Materials/Articles

A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304). This special issue belongs to the section "Exposome Analysis and Risk Assessment".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2022) | Viewed by 19534

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Isabelle Severin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Universite Bourgogne Franche-Comte, UMR INSERM 1231, NUTox Team, Derttech “Packtox”, Dijon, France
Interests: In vitro bioassays; mixture assessment; genotoxicity, non-intentionally added substances

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Food packaging is omnipresent in our daily life as most of the food distributed in developed countries is packed. Food contact articles (FCA), because of their technical functions, are barriers to preventing the chemical/microbiological contamination of food and to prolonging their shelf-life and maintaining the quality and safety of food. Their marketing roles make them a great source of innovation and information support for the consumer. Nevertheless, despite its many beneficial roles, food packaging safety is a major subject of concern for all the stakeholders. Indeed, there has been increased scientific, media, and public attention regarding packaging migrates as a source of food contamination.

Depending on food contact materials (FCM) physical/chemical parameters and FCM/food composition, FCM may interact with food and transfer some constituents by migration that induce low but measurable human exposure. Migration may cause a potential risk for human health that must be measured and controlled. In addition to starting substances, some non-intentionally added substances can also be found in food, and they could even represent a great part of migrating substances. Thus, FCM/FCA could be considered a complex mixture of chemicals whose risk is very difficult to assess as many substances are not well analytically identified, quantified, and toxicologically characterized.

The Special Issue aims to present recent research studies on the latest methods and approaches to better assess the risk of FCM and FCA, in terms of hazard identification, exposure characterization, and hazard assessment to ensure the safety of consumers. Studies may focus on but are not limited to migration modeling, improvement of food simulants, and conditions of contact, chemical analysis, toxicity assessment, in silico methods (TTC, QSAR, etc.), extraction protocols, in vitro bioassays (genotoxicity, endocrine disruption), and mixture effect. The contributions could also cover the risk assessment of new materials (bio-based, compostables) or the use of FCM in a closed-circuit loop (reuse or recycling).

We hope you find this hot topic of interest and look forward to receiving your proposals soon.

Dr. Isabelle Severin
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Toxics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • food contact materials/articles
  • risk assessment
  • hazard assessment
  • migration
  • exposure
  • chemical analysis
  • in vitro bioassays
  • non-intentionally added substances
  • packaging safety mixture

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

4 pages, 234 KiB  
Editorial
Editorial for the Special Issue “Risk Assessment of Food Contact Materials/Articles”
by Isabelle Séverin
Toxics 2023, 11(3), 254; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11030254 - 9 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1239
Abstract
Food packaging is made of four main materials, namely plastic, cardboard, glass and metals (aluminium and steel), as well as many other materials (wood, waxes, corks, etc [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Risk Assessment of Food Contact Materials/Articles)

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Review

23 pages, 2793 KiB  
Article
Interlaboratory Study to Evaluate a Testing Protocol for the Safety of Food Packaging Coatings
by Maricel Marin-Kuan, Vincent Pagnotti, Amaury Patin, Julie Moulin, Helia Latado, Jesús Varela, Yves-Alexis Hammel, Thomas Gude, Heidi Moor, Nick Billinton, Matthew Tate, Peter Alexander Behnisch, Harrie Besselink, Heather Burleigh-Flayer, Sander Koster and David T. Szabo
Toxics 2023, 11(2), 156; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11020156 - 7 Feb 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2629
Abstract
According to European regulations, migration from food packaging must be safe. However, currently, there is no consensus on how to evaluate its safety, especially for non-intentionally added substances (NIAS). The intensive and laborious approach, involving identification and then quantification of all migrating substances [...] Read more.
According to European regulations, migration from food packaging must be safe. However, currently, there is no consensus on how to evaluate its safety, especially for non-intentionally added substances (NIAS). The intensive and laborious approach, involving identification and then quantification of all migrating substances followed by a toxicological evaluation, is not practical or feasible. In alignment with the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) and the European Union (EU) guidelines on packaging materials, efforts are focused on combining data from analytics, bioassays and in silico toxicology approaches for the risk assessment of packaging materials. Advancement of non-targeted screening approaches using both analytical methods and in vitro bioassays is key. A protocol was developed for the chemical and biological screening of migrants from coated metal packaging materials. This protocol includes guidance on sample preparation, migrant simulation, chemical analysis using liquid chromatography (LC-MS) and validated bioassays covering endocrine activity, genotoxicity and metabolism-related targets. An inter-laboratory study was set-up to evaluate the consistency in biological activity and analytical results generated between three independent laboratories applying the developed protocol and guidance. Coated packaging metal panels were used in this case study. In general, the inter-laboratory chemical analysis and bioassay results displayed acceptable consistency between laboratories, but technical differences led to different data interpretations (e.g., cytotoxicity, cell passages, chemical analysis). The study observations with the greatest impact on the quality of the data and ultimately resulting in discrepancies in the results are given and suggestions for improvement of the protocol are made (e.g., sample preparation, chemical analysis approaches). Finally, there was agreement on the need for an aligned protocol to be utilized by qualified laboratories for chemical and biological analyses, following best practices and guidance for packaging safety assessment of intentionally added substances (IAS) and NIAS to avoid inconsistency in data and the final interpretation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Risk Assessment of Food Contact Materials/Articles)
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15 pages, 3919 KiB  
Article
Incorporation of Metabolic Activation in the HPTLC-SOS-Umu-C Bioassay to Detect Low Levels of Genotoxic Chemicals in Food Contact Materials
by Emma Debon, Paul Rogeboz, Hélia Latado, Gertrud E. Morlock, Daniel Meyer, Claudine Cottet-Fontannaz, Gabriele Scholz, Benoît Schilter and Maricel Marin-Kuan
Toxics 2022, 10(9), 501; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics10090501 - 27 Aug 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2237
Abstract
The safety evaluation of food contact materials requires excluding mutagenicity and genotoxicity in migrates. Testing the migrates using in vitro bioassays has been proposed to address this challenge. To be fit for that purpose, bioassays must be capable of detecting very low, safety [...] Read more.
The safety evaluation of food contact materials requires excluding mutagenicity and genotoxicity in migrates. Testing the migrates using in vitro bioassays has been proposed to address this challenge. To be fit for that purpose, bioassays must be capable of detecting very low, safety relevant concentrations of DNA-damaging substances. There is currently no bioassay compatible with such qualifications. High-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC), coupled with the planar SOS Umu-C (p-Umu-C) bioassay, was suggested as a promising rapid test (~6 h) to detect the presence of low levels of mutagens/genotoxins in complex mixtures. The current study aimed at incorporating metabolic activation in this assay and testing it with a set of standard mutagens (4-nitroquinoline-N-oxide, aflatoxin B1, mitomycin C, benzo(a)pyrene, N-ethyl nitrourea, 2-nitrofluorene, 7,12-dimethylbenzanthracene, 2-aminoanthracene and methyl methanesulfonate). An effective bioactivation protocol was developed. All tested mutagens could be detected at low concentrations (0.016 to 230 ng/band, according to substances). The calculated limits of biological detection were found to be up to 1400-fold lower than those obtained with the Ames assay. These limits are lower than the values calculated to ensure a negligeable carcinogenic risk of 10−5. They are all compatible with the threshold of toxicological concern for chemicals with alerts for mutagenicity (150 ng/person). They cannot be achieved by any other currently available test procedures. The p-Umu-C bioassay may become instrumental in the genotoxicity testing of complex mixtures such as food packaging, foods, and environmental samples. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Risk Assessment of Food Contact Materials/Articles)
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15 pages, 1721 KiB  
Article
A Fast and Automated Strategy for the Identification and Risk Assessment of Unknown Substances (IAS/NIAS) in Plastic Food Contact Materials by GC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS: Recycled LDPE as a Proof-of-Concept
by Pablo Miralles, Vicent Yusà, Adriana Pineda and Clara Coscollà
Toxics 2021, 9(11), 283; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics9110283 - 1 Nov 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3586
Abstract
A fast and automated approach has been developed for the tentative identification and risk assessment of unknown substances in plastic food contact materials (FCM) by GC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS. The proposed approach combines GC-HRMS full scan data acquisition coupled to Compound Discoverer™ 3.2 software for [...] Read more.
A fast and automated approach has been developed for the tentative identification and risk assessment of unknown substances in plastic food contact materials (FCM) by GC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS. The proposed approach combines GC-HRMS full scan data acquisition coupled to Compound Discoverer™ 3.2 software for automated data processing and compound identification. To perform the tentative identification of the detected features, a restrictive set of identification criteria was used, including matching with the NIST Mass Spectral Library, exact mass of annotated fragments, and retention index calculation. After the tentative identification, a risk assessment of the identified substances was performed by using the threshold of toxicological concern (TTC) approach. This strategy has been applied to recycled low-density polyethylene (LDPE), which could be used as FCM, as a proof-of-concept demonstration. In the analyzed sample, 374 features were detected, of which 83 were tentatively identified after examination of the identification criteria. Most of these were additives, such as plasticizers, used in a wide variety of plastic applications, oligomers of LDPE, and substances with chemical, industrial, or cosmetic applications. The risk assessment was performed and, according to the TTC approach, the obtained results showed that there was no risk associated with the release of the identified substances. However, complementary studies related to the toxicity of the unidentified substances and the potential mixture toxicity (cocktail effects) should be conducted in parallel using bioassays. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Risk Assessment of Food Contact Materials/Articles)
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17 pages, 1901 KiB  
Article
Direct Comparison of the Lowest Effect Concentrations of Mutagenic Reference Substances in Two Ames Test Formats
by Bernhard Rainer, Elisabeth Pinter, Lukas Prielinger, Chiara Coppola, Maricel Marin-Kuan, Benoit Schilter, Silvia Apprich and Manfred Tacker
Toxics 2021, 9(7), 152; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics9070152 - 29 Jun 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3925
Abstract
The Ames assay is the standard assay for identifying DNA-reactive genotoxic substances. Multiple formats are available and the correct choice of an assay protocol is essential for achieving optimal performance, including fit for purpose detection limits and required screening capacity. In the present [...] Read more.
The Ames assay is the standard assay for identifying DNA-reactive genotoxic substances. Multiple formats are available and the correct choice of an assay protocol is essential for achieving optimal performance, including fit for purpose detection limits and required screening capacity. In the present study, a comparison of those parameters between two commonly used formats, the standard pre-incubation Ames test and the liquid-based Ames MPF™, was performed. For that purpose, twenty-one substances with various modes of action were chosen and tested for their lowest effect concentrations (LEC) with both tests. In addition, two sources of rat liver homogenate S9 fraction, Aroclor 1254-induced and phenobarbital/β-naphthoflavone induced, were compared in the Ames MPF™. Overall, the standard pre-incubation Ames and the Ames MPF™ assay showed high concordance (>90%) for mutagenic vs. non-mutagenic compound classification. The LEC values of the Ames MPF™ format were lower for 17 of the 21 of the selected test substances. The S9 source had no impact on the test results. This leads to the conclusion that the liquid-based Ames MPF™ assay format provides screening advantages when low concentrations are relevant, such as in the testing of complex mixtures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Risk Assessment of Food Contact Materials/Articles)
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Review

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14 pages, 487 KiB  
Review
Safety Risks of Plant Fiber/Plastic Composites (PPCs) Intended for Food Contact: A Review of Potential Hazards and Risk Management Measures
by Hong Zhang and Yunxuan Weng
Toxics 2021, 9(12), 343; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics9120343 - 9 Dec 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4512
Abstract
Plant fiber/plastic composites (PPCs), with the benefits of low cost and easy processing, have been widely used in the production of various food contact products. They are generally considered to be economical and environmentally friendly because of their natural raw materials (plant fibers) [...] Read more.
Plant fiber/plastic composites (PPCs), with the benefits of low cost and easy processing, have been widely used in the production of various food contact products. They are generally considered to be economical and environmentally friendly because of their natural raw materials (plant fibers) and recommended to be one of the ideal alternatives to traditional petrochemical-based plastics. However, in addition to plastic resins and plant fibers, some indispensable additives are involved in the production process of PPCs, which may pose food safety risks. To date, excessive migration of hazardous substances (such as melamine) has been reported in some products made of PPCs, and the safety and applicability of PPCs as food contact materials need to be further studied. In this paper, the main raw materials of PPCs used for food contact are taken as the pointcut to analyze the possible hazards, sources of hazards, and existing risk management measures in various countries. The conclusion shows that PPCs used for food contact may have potential safety risks at present. However, systematic research on migration methods and safety assessment are still insufficient, and further studies are needed regarding the main safety risks and migration patterns. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Risk Assessment of Food Contact Materials/Articles)
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