Eisenreich Andreas, Götz Mario E, Sachse Benjamin, Monien Bernhard H, Herrmann Kristin, Schäfer Bernd
Department of Food Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Max-Dohrn-Str. 8-10, 10589 Berlin, Germany.
Department of Pesticides Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Max-Dohrn-Str. 8-10, 10589 Berlin, Germany.
Foods. 2021 Sep 10;10(9):2139. doi: 10.3390/foods10092139.
Alkenylbenzenes are naturally occurring secondary plant metabolites, primarily present in different herbs and spices, such as basil or fennel seeds. Thus, alkenylbenzenes, such as safrole, methyleugenol, and estragole, can be found in different foods, whenever these herbs and spices (or extracts thereof) are used for food production. In particular, essential oils or other food products derived from the aforementioned herbs and spices, such as basil-containing pesto or plant food supplements, are often characterized by a high content of alkenylbenzenes. While safrole or methyleugenol are known to be genotoxic and carcinogenic, the toxicological relevance of other alkenylbenzenes (e.g., apiol) regarding human health remains widely unclear. In this review, we will briefly summarize and discuss the current knowledge and the uncertainties impeding a conclusive evaluation of adverse effects to human health possibly resulting from consumption of foods containing alkenylbenzenes, especially focusing on the genotoxic compounds, safrole, methyleugenol, and estragole.
烯基苯是天然存在的次生植物代谢产物，主要存在于不同的草药和香料中，如罗勒或茴香籽。因此，只要这些草药和香料（或其提取物）用于食品生产，在不同的食物中都能发现烯基苯，如黄樟素、甲基丁香酚和草蒿脑。特别是，从上述草药和香料中提取的精油或其他食品，如含罗勒的香蒜酱或植物性食品补充剂，通常具有高含量的烯基苯。虽然已知黄樟素或甲基丁香酚具有遗传毒性和致癌性，但其他烯基苯（如芹菜脑）对人类健康的毒理学相关性仍不清楚。在这篇综述中，我们将简要总结并讨论目前的知识以及阻碍对食用含烯基苯食物可能对人类健康产生的不良影响进行最终评估的不确定性，尤其关注遗传毒性化合物黄樟素、甲基丁香酚和草蒿脑。
