- Email: [email protected]
Safety Evaluation of Certain Food Additives
International Journal of Food Microbiology 93 (2004) 123 – 125 www.elsevier.com/locate/ijfoodmicro
Book reviews Safety Evaluation of Certain Food Additives Prepared by the Fifty-Ninth Meeting of the Joint FAO/ WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), WHO Food Additives Series: 50; International Programme on Chemical Safety, IPCS, WHO, Geneva, 2003, vi+425 pages (English); ISBN 92 4 166050 3; Sw. fr. 90.00/US$81.00; in developing countries: Sw. fr. 63.00; order no. 1270050. Evaluation of Certain Food Additives Fifty-Ninth Report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives; technical report series, no. 913, 2002, viii + 138 pages (English); ISBN 92 4 120913 5; Sw. fr. 25.00/US$22.50; in developing countries: Sw. fr. 17.50; order no. 1100913. The first publication contains monographs prepared at the 59h meeting of Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) on June 2002. The toxicological monographs summarize the safety data on a number of food additives, including alitame, cross-linked sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, mineral oils and paraffin waxes, nitrate and nitrite, and salatrim. Also included are monographs on six groups of related flavouring agents evaluated according to the Procedure for the Safety Evaluation of Flavouring Agents. Hardly any food nowadays is produced without the use of food additives. The monographs present the ultimate knowledge of the safety data of the listed additives. You can only be impressed by the depth and thoroughness of all the accumulated data. It is tempting to list all the data presented on, for example, mineral oils and waxes, but that will be too long. However, rest assured, nothing is left to the chance. In spite of the fact that the monographs are on a scientific high level, most persons will be able to extract valuable information, even if part of the text goes over their head. Who will know that the nice shining and tempting apples or fruits are coated with mineral
oils, and that these uses are also the major sources of dietary intakes of mineral oils in some countries. Suggestions are given on the prudent use of oils while waiting for the results of further studies. Alitame is an intense sweetener, with a sweetness potency 2000 times greater than that of sucrose. No wonder it is used in a wide range of foods and beverages, and detailed assessments of the intake of alitame when used in foods and beverages are required by the committee. The use of nitrate and nitrite as food additives has, since many years ago, been a controversial issue. Once again, important sections of the high-level monographs on the compounds and their sources in foods can be read and understood by most, especially by food producers using nitrate and/or nitrite as preservatives or colouring agents. In short, the studies evaluated by the committee did not provide evidence that nitrate is carcinogenic to humans. Another food additive currently debated on is salatrim, which is intended for use as a low-calorie fat in soft sweets, coatings, dairy products, margarine, and bakery products. The monograph on salatrim is likely to be very closely studied not only by the food industry but also by dieticians and the medical profession. It is thought-provoking that the committee concluded that the available data did not provide basis for evaluating the safety of salatrim. There are loads of food safety information provided. The Evaluation of Certain Food Additives represents the conclusions of JECFA convened to evaluate the mentioned food additives, with a view to recommending acceptable daily intakes (ADIs) and to preparing specifications for the identity and purity of food additives. The first part of the report contains a general discussion of the principles governing the toxicological evaluation of food additives and contaminants. A summary follows on the evaluation of the compounds under consideration. Annexed to the report are tables summarizing the committees’ recom-
124
Book reviews
mendations for ADIs of food additives and recommendations on the flavouring agents considered. The two WHO publications are—as are other JECFA publications of monographs and reports in the technical report series on food additives—important contributions to the safe use of food additives. They are, as a matter of fact, the bible in the field of safe application and use. As such, they deserve to be widely consulted by all involved in food safety evaluation. This applies foremost to the food producers, but also to food regulatory agencies and universities. The consumer ought also to be aware of the immense amount of data on food safety issues accumulated in the publications, which, in spite of the purely scientific approach, can be consulted by everybody. The reader will get nonbiased information on the subject—not the worst offer to consider. You will not return empty-handed. Niels Skovgaard Jakob Knudsensvej 18, Birkerød 3460, Denmark E-mail address: [email protected] Tel./fax: +45-45-813936 doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2003.11.001
Food Processing Technology. Principles and Practice P.J. Fellows, CRC, Woodhead Publishing, Cambridge, England, 2002; xxxi+575 pages, soft cover; Woodhead Publishing, ISBN 1 85573 533 4, CRC Press, ISBN 0-8493-0887-9, order no. WP0887; UK £35.00/ US $55.00/o55.00, [email protected] The author is a Director of Midway Technology and visiting fellow in Food Technology at Oxford Brookes University. The first edition of the volume was published in 1988. The present edition of 2002 is a reprint of the second edition of 2000. This edition was substantially revised, including a number of new chapters and additional materials added. New tables and illustrations have been included to provide additional information and updated description of technologies. All new developments have been fully referenced in every chapter, but there are naturally no references later than
1999. Useful glossary and survey of symbols and acronyms have been inserted in the very beginning, so nobody will miss it. The volume is a comprehensive standard introduction to a wide range of technologies used in food manufacture, from raw materials preparation to packaging, storage, and distribution. It reviews all the main technologies, covering the underlying theory, advantages and disadvantages, equipment, and principal applications, including the important aspects of the effects on sensory and nutritional properties of food. Throughout the volume, where applicable to the process in question, shaded boxes covering sample problem and the author’s calculations on the solution to sample problem (e.g., calculation of freezing time for 5-cm potato cubes, to give just one example) have been inserted. This is very useful for both technology students as well as persons responsible for the operation. Food Processing Technology. Principles and Practice is an essential text for students of food science, technology, nutrition, agriculture, and catering. To that extent, it has already found its way to the professionals in the food industry. It is highly recommended to order the volume. On the cover, the book claims to remain as the best single-volume introduction to food manufacturing technologies on the market. Well, this is not to hide one’s light under a bushel—anyway, one will not be disappointed by the information one can get. Niels Skovgaard Jakob Knudsensvej 18, Birkerød 3460, Denmark E-mail address: [email protected] Tel./fax: +435-45-813936 doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2003.11.002
A Field Guide to Bacteria Betsey Dexter Dyer, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 2003, viii + 355 pages; ISBN 0-8014-8854-0 (paper), US$ 26.00, UK£ 16.50, www.cornellpress. cornell.edu The author is a professor of biology at the—as she herself says—small liberal arts college, Wheaton College, Norton, MA. She takes us, literally speaking,
Book reviews Safety Evaluation of Certain Food Additives Prepared by the Fifty-Ninth Meeting of the Joint FAO/ WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), WHO Food Additives Series: 50; International Programme on Chemical Safety, IPCS, WHO, Geneva, 2003, vi+425 pages (English); ISBN 92 4 166050 3; Sw. fr. 90.00/US$81.00; in developing countries: Sw. fr. 63.00; order no. 1270050. Evaluation of Certain Food Additives Fifty-Ninth Report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives; technical report series, no. 913, 2002, viii + 138 pages (English); ISBN 92 4 120913 5; Sw. fr. 25.00/US$22.50; in developing countries: Sw. fr. 17.50; order no. 1100913. The first publication contains monographs prepared at the 59h meeting of Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) on June 2002. The toxicological monographs summarize the safety data on a number of food additives, including alitame, cross-linked sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, mineral oils and paraffin waxes, nitrate and nitrite, and salatrim. Also included are monographs on six groups of related flavouring agents evaluated according to the Procedure for the Safety Evaluation of Flavouring Agents. Hardly any food nowadays is produced without the use of food additives. The monographs present the ultimate knowledge of the safety data of the listed additives. You can only be impressed by the depth and thoroughness of all the accumulated data. It is tempting to list all the data presented on, for example, mineral oils and waxes, but that will be too long. However, rest assured, nothing is left to the chance. In spite of the fact that the monographs are on a scientific high level, most persons will be able to extract valuable information, even if part of the text goes over their head. Who will know that the nice shining and tempting apples or fruits are coated with mineral
oils, and that these uses are also the major sources of dietary intakes of mineral oils in some countries. Suggestions are given on the prudent use of oils while waiting for the results of further studies. Alitame is an intense sweetener, with a sweetness potency 2000 times greater than that of sucrose. No wonder it is used in a wide range of foods and beverages, and detailed assessments of the intake of alitame when used in foods and beverages are required by the committee. The use of nitrate and nitrite as food additives has, since many years ago, been a controversial issue. Once again, important sections of the high-level monographs on the compounds and their sources in foods can be read and understood by most, especially by food producers using nitrate and/or nitrite as preservatives or colouring agents. In short, the studies evaluated by the committee did not provide evidence that nitrate is carcinogenic to humans. Another food additive currently debated on is salatrim, which is intended for use as a low-calorie fat in soft sweets, coatings, dairy products, margarine, and bakery products. The monograph on salatrim is likely to be very closely studied not only by the food industry but also by dieticians and the medical profession. It is thought-provoking that the committee concluded that the available data did not provide basis for evaluating the safety of salatrim. There are loads of food safety information provided. The Evaluation of Certain Food Additives represents the conclusions of JECFA convened to evaluate the mentioned food additives, with a view to recommending acceptable daily intakes (ADIs) and to preparing specifications for the identity and purity of food additives. The first part of the report contains a general discussion of the principles governing the toxicological evaluation of food additives and contaminants. A summary follows on the evaluation of the compounds under consideration. Annexed to the report are tables summarizing the committees’ recom-
124
Book reviews
mendations for ADIs of food additives and recommendations on the flavouring agents considered. The two WHO publications are—as are other JECFA publications of monographs and reports in the technical report series on food additives—important contributions to the safe use of food additives. They are, as a matter of fact, the bible in the field of safe application and use. As such, they deserve to be widely consulted by all involved in food safety evaluation. This applies foremost to the food producers, but also to food regulatory agencies and universities. The consumer ought also to be aware of the immense amount of data on food safety issues accumulated in the publications, which, in spite of the purely scientific approach, can be consulted by everybody. The reader will get nonbiased information on the subject—not the worst offer to consider. You will not return empty-handed. Niels Skovgaard Jakob Knudsensvej 18, Birkerød 3460, Denmark E-mail address: [email protected] Tel./fax: +45-45-813936 doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2003.11.001
Food Processing Technology. Principles and Practice P.J. Fellows, CRC, Woodhead Publishing, Cambridge, England, 2002; xxxi+575 pages, soft cover; Woodhead Publishing, ISBN 1 85573 533 4, CRC Press, ISBN 0-8493-0887-9, order no. WP0887; UK £35.00/ US $55.00/o55.00, [email protected] The author is a Director of Midway Technology and visiting fellow in Food Technology at Oxford Brookes University. The first edition of the volume was published in 1988. The present edition of 2002 is a reprint of the second edition of 2000. This edition was substantially revised, including a number of new chapters and additional materials added. New tables and illustrations have been included to provide additional information and updated description of technologies. All new developments have been fully referenced in every chapter, but there are naturally no references later than
1999. Useful glossary and survey of symbols and acronyms have been inserted in the very beginning, so nobody will miss it. The volume is a comprehensive standard introduction to a wide range of technologies used in food manufacture, from raw materials preparation to packaging, storage, and distribution. It reviews all the main technologies, covering the underlying theory, advantages and disadvantages, equipment, and principal applications, including the important aspects of the effects on sensory and nutritional properties of food. Throughout the volume, where applicable to the process in question, shaded boxes covering sample problem and the author’s calculations on the solution to sample problem (e.g., calculation of freezing time for 5-cm potato cubes, to give just one example) have been inserted. This is very useful for both technology students as well as persons responsible for the operation. Food Processing Technology. Principles and Practice is an essential text for students of food science, technology, nutrition, agriculture, and catering. To that extent, it has already found its way to the professionals in the food industry. It is highly recommended to order the volume. On the cover, the book claims to remain as the best single-volume introduction to food manufacturing technologies on the market. Well, this is not to hide one’s light under a bushel—anyway, one will not be disappointed by the information one can get. Niels Skovgaard Jakob Knudsensvej 18, Birkerød 3460, Denmark E-mail address: [email protected] Tel./fax: +435-45-813936 doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2003.11.002
A Field Guide to Bacteria Betsey Dexter Dyer, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 2003, viii + 355 pages; ISBN 0-8014-8854-0 (paper), US$ 26.00, UK£ 16.50, www.cornellpress. cornell.edu The author is a professor of biology at the—as she herself says—small liberal arts college, Wheaton College, Norton, MA. She takes us, literally speaking,