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Poisoning due to Cucurbitaceous vegetables seems to be linked to intake of immensely bitter vegetables. The bitter and toxic compounds in these vegetables are cucurbitacins, which are well known in wild varieties of these food plants and their related species. The cultivated forms, on the other hand, have during cultivation been selected for being free of the bitter and toxic compounds. Occasionally, cultivars of cucurbitaceous food plants (e.g. squash) back-mutate and regain the ability to produce toxic amounts of cucurbitacins. This review summarises the information available on cucurbitacins in food plants of the family Cucurbitaceae, with the aim to lay down background information required to evaluate the potential risk of being intoxicated by cucurbitacins as a part of the safety assessment of cucurbitaceous food plants, and especially in relation to genetically modified Cucurbitaceous plants.
These science-based consensus documents contain information for use during the regulatory assessment of food/feed products of modern biotechnology, i.e. developed from transgenic crops.
The report reviews the toxicity data on inherent natural toxicants in lupin seeds, especially quinolizidin alkaloids. Lupin seeds are increasingly used in the Nordic countries, partially substituting wheat flour in certain foods. An estimation of the risk by consuming foods containing lupin seeds in the Nordic countries and recommendations to better ensure the safe use of these seeds in foods are given.
The first part of the report deals with occurrence of methylxanthines in foods, beverages, and medicines, and estimates of caffeine intake. In addition, a short review of the pharmacological and toxicological actions of caffeine is given. The second and main part of the report reviews available information from epidemiological studies on the potential health hazards to the human foetus associated with parental intake during pregnancy of caffeine and related methylxanthines in foods, beverages and medicines. The studied adverse effects are influence on fertility, spontaneous abortion, congenital malformation, pre-term delivery, foetal growth retardation, foetal behaviour and effects on neonates, infants and young children. The conclusion of the report demonstrates the need for limiting caffeine exposure during pregnancy. The Nordic Working Group on Food Toxicology and Risk Evaluation (NNT) recognizes that the human exposure to caffeine and related compounds causes a spectrum of pharmacological effects, for instance cardiovascular, renal, neurological and behavioural effects. The increasing use of caffeine and related methylxanthines in various foods and beverages consumed by children and adolescents cause concern. NNT recommends that a full hazard characterization of caffeine and related methylxanthines should be performed with the aim to reach a conclusion about the upper safe level of intake of these compounds.
The Committee of Experts on Flavouring Substances is undertaking a major toxicological evaluation of the safety-in-use of over 600 natural flavouring source materials. Natural sources of flavourings are materials of vegetable or animal origin, whether or not they are normally consumed as food, from which flavourings may be obtained. This publication is the Committee's third report which provides safety-in-use evaluations of 71 source materials.
Balanced coverage of natural cosmetics, and what it really means to be "green" The use of natural ingredients and functional botanical compounds in cosmetic products is on the rise. According to industry estimates, sales of natural personal care products have exceeded $7 billion in recent years. Nonetheless, many misconceptions about natural products for instance, what "green" and "organic" really mean continue to exist within the industry. Formulating, Packaging, and Marketing of Natural Cosmetic Products addresses this confusion head-on, exploring and detailing the sources, processing, safety, efficacy, stability, and formulation aspects of natural compounds in cosmetic and personal care products. Designed to provide industry professionals and natural product development experts with the essential perspective and market information needed to develop truly "green" cosmetics, the book covers timely issues like biodegradable packaging and the potential microbial risks they present, the use of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) to identify biomarkers, and chromatographic methods of analyzing natural products. A must-read for industry insiders, Formulating, Packaging, and Marketing of Natural Cosmetic Products provides the reader with basic tools and concepts to develop naturally derived formulas.
