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Food Additives & Contaminants Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tfac19

Formaldehyde and hexamethylenetetramine as food additives: Chemical interactions and toxicology a

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Patrizia Restani , Anna Rosa Restelli & Corrado L. Galli

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Laboratory of Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacological Sciences , University of Milano , Italy Published online: 10 Jan 2009.

To cite this article: Patrizia Restani , Anna Rosa Restelli & Corrado L. Galli (1992) Formaldehyde and hexamethylenetetramine as food additives: Chemical interactions and toxicology, Food Additives & Contaminants, 9:5, 597-605, DOI: 10.1080/02652039209374113 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02652039209374113

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FOOD ADDITIVES AND CONTAMINANTS, 1992, VOL. 9, NO. 5, 597-605

Formaldehyde and hexamethylenetetramine as food additives: chemical interactions and toxicology PATRIZIA RESTANI, ANNA ROSA RESTELLI and CORRADO L. GALLI

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Laboratory of Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacological Sciences, University of Milano, Italy Formaldehyde (FA) and hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) are used in cheese production to control gas-forming clostridia; FA also occurs naturally in some foods at levels of 1-20 mg/kg. The toxicology of FA and HMT are briefly discussed together with their reactions in foods. The most abundant end-product of FA in cheese is spinacine derived from the N-terminal histidine residue in γ2-casein. Acute and short term toxicological studies on spinacine enable a No Observed Effect Level of 300 mg/kg body weight/day to be determined, leading to an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for man of 3 mg/kg body weight/day. From these data a Tolerance Level (TL) of 1800 mg spinacine/kg cheese can be derived, leading to a Safety Margin (SM) of 12.9. It is concluded that there is no appreciable health risk from consumption of cheeses made using formaldehyde (Grana Padano) or hexamethylenetetramine (Provolone). Keywords: formaldehyde, hexamethylenetetramine, food additives, FA-derivatives, food toxicology, spinacine

Introduction

Among preservatives, formaldehyde (FA) and hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) have an important role in the Italian food industry, because of their use in cheese production. FA and HMT are used as bacteriostatic agents in the production of the two typical Italian cheeses, Grana Padano and Provolone. FA and HMT, which is an FA precursor, reduce the formation of gas by the Clostridium genus which causes the cracking of cheese. Concerns over the use of these two compounds as food additives originate from the high reactivity of FA which is able to combine with macromolecules such as nucleic acids or proteins (Siomin et al. 1973, Chaw et al. 1980, Hemminki 1982).

Formaldehyde FA is naturally present in various foodstuffs (table 1) and the content varies between 1 and 20 ppm (WHO 1989). FA is also normally present in the human body, where it is derived from serine which is enzymically converted into glycine. Then FA, via the activated form of A^.A^-methylene tetrahydrofolate, enters directly into the biosynthesis of serine and thymidine, or after biochemical transformation it is incorporated into purine bases and methionine. 0265-203X/92 $3.00 © 1992 Taylor & Francis Ltd.

P. Restani et al.

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Table 1. Formaldehyde content of foodstuffs. Formaldehyde content (mg/kg)

Food Fruits and vegetables Apple Cabbage Carrot Spinach Tomato

17-3 4-7 6-7 3-3 5-7

Meat 20-0

Pig

Sheep Poultry

8-0 5-7

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Milk and milk products Goat's milk Cow's milk Cheese Grana Padano cheese

1-0

up to 3-3 up to 3-3

Formaldehyde and hexamethylenetetramine as food additives: chemical interactions and toxicology.

Formaldehyde (FA) and hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) are used in cheese production to control gas-forming clostridia; FA also occurs naturally in some f...
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