Chaudhry Qasim, Scotter Michael, Blackburn James, Ross Bryony, Boxall Alistair, Castle Laurence, Aitken Robert, Watkins Richard
Defra Central Science Laboratory, Sand Hutton, York Y041 1LZ, UK.
Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess. 2008 Mar;25(3):241-58. doi: 10.1080/02652030701744538.
A review of current and projected nanotechnology-derived food ingredients, food additives and food contact materials is presented in relation to potential implications for consumer safety and regulatory controls. Nanotechnology applications are expected to bring a range of benefits to the food sector, including new tastes, textures and sensations, less use of fat, enhanced absorption of nutrients, improved packaging, traceability and security of food products. The review has shown that nanotechnology-derived food and health food products are set to grow worldwide and, moreover, a variety of food ingredients, additives, carriers for nutrients/supplements and food contact materials is already available in some countries. The current level of applications in the European food sector is at an elementary stage; however, it is widely expected that more and more products will be available in the EU over the coming years. The toxicological nature of hazard, likelihood of exposure and risk to consumers from nanotechnology-derived food/food packaging are largely unknown and this review highlights major gaps in knowledge that require further research. A number of uncertainties and gaps in relevant regulatory frameworks have also been identified and ways of addressing them proposed.
本文综述了当前及预计的纳米技术衍生的食品成分、食品添加剂和食品接触材料，探讨了其对消费者安全和监管控制的潜在影响。纳米技术的应用有望给食品行业带来一系列益处，包括新的口味、质地和感官体验，减少脂肪使用，增强营养吸收，改善包装，提高食品的可追溯性和安全性。综述表明，纳米技术衍生的食品和健康食品在全球范围内将不断增长，此外，一些国家已经有了多种食品成分、添加剂、营养/补充剂载体和食品接触材料。欧洲食品行业目前的应用水平尚处于初级阶段；然而，人们普遍预计，未来几年欧盟市场上将会有越来越多的此类产品。纳米技术衍生的食品/食品包装对消费者的危害的毒理学性质、接触可能性和风险在很大程度上尚不清楚，本综述突出了知识方面的主要差距，这些差距需要进一步研究。同时，也发现了相关监管框架中存在的一些不确定性和差距，并提出了应对方法。
