A novel safety assessment strategy applied to non-selective extracts

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Toxicology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Assessing the safety of processed foods is challenging due to complex matrices and potential formation of unknown compounds.
• Detecting and assessing the risk of substances in food requires sophisticated analytical and toxicological methods.
• Current methods often necessitate extensive testing, including animal studies, for safety evaluations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and validate the Complex Mixture Safety Assessment Strategy (CoMSAS) for evaluating the safety of non-selective extracts (NSEs).
• To demonstrate CoMSAS as an exposure-driven approach for prioritizing safety assessments of substances in complex food mixtures.
• To reduce the need for animal testing in food safety evaluations.

Main Methods:

• Application of the Complex Mixture Safety Assessment Strategy (CoMSAS) to non-selective extracts (NSEs).
• Focus on newly formed or increased exposure substances during processing.
• Distinguishing toxicologically relevant from less relevant substances based on exposure levels.

Main Results:

• CoMSAS effectively prioritizes safety assessments by considering substance exposure levels.
• The strategy reduces the scope of identification, characterization, and safety assessment for low-concentration unknowns.
• Demonstrated successful application of CoMSAS for elderberry and pumpkin NSEs used as food colorants.

Conclusions:

• CoMSAS provides a pragmatic and efficient method for assessing the safety of complex food mixtures like NSEs.
• The exposure-driven approach streamlines safety evaluations and minimizes the need for extensive toxicological testing.
• CoMSAS is a valuable tool for ensuring the safety of food ingredients, particularly those used for coloring purposes.