Food Standards Agency
Thursday 2 July 2009
Safer food better business banner
AZ-Directory
What's NewRSS
What is RSS?Listen
Listen to this siteWednesday 24 March 2004
This research project aims to develop methods to assess the health effects from mixtures of food chemicals using four well characterised food additives.
Study Duration : September 2001 to January 2005
Contractor : BIBRA International Ltd
The objective of this project is to develop methods to assess the health effects to humans from mixtures of food chemicals. A number of food additives were identified where joint actions, or interactions, could occur due to their potential to produce common toxic effects in particular target organs. Indeed, a number of food additives have been shown in animal studies to produce effects in the liver. Four such food additives, namely butylated hydroxytoluene, curcumin, propyl gallate and thiabendazole, have been selected for investigation in this project.
The aim of this project is to test these substances both individually and in various statistically determined permutations, to assess whether there is any additivity or synergy. The work is being carried out by two laboratories, one concentrating on the study design and the other on the metabolic effects.
In vitro studies in rat and human hepatocytes will be carried out with selected food additives. Both in vitro and in vivo combination studies will also be carried out using rat hepatocytes and the selected food additives. In addition to this in vitro combination studies in human hepatocytes will be performed.
The work of this project is being carried on under the project numbers T01040 and T01041.
Find out what our other sites have to offer