The vitaminC@P25TiO₂NPs, on the other hand, were obtained through an optimized method based on Mallakpour et al. [27]. Initially, 0.02 g of P25TiO₂NPs were dispersed in 1 mL of ultrapure water and stirred in a Vortex. Next, 100 μL of HCl (0.01 M) were added (pH 2) to 100 uL of P25TiO₂NPs to avoid gel formation. Then, 100 μL of vitamin C dissolved in ultra-pure water (5.0 × 10⁻³ M) solution were added to the mixture and was ultrasonicated for 30 min. Finally, vitamin C was added in excess to gain a beige-orange color suspension, and the ultrasonication continued for another 30 min. The pellet obtained after centrifuging the suspension for 10 min at 4500 rpm was resuspended in ultrapure water, centrifuged again, and then lyophilized.

So, what does it all mean for you, the consumer? Should you stop eating Skittles or begin checking foods for the presence of titanium dioxide? Here's a closer look.

Food safety experts in the European Union (EU) have recently updated their safety assessment of TiO₂ as a food additive. In Europe, TiO₂ is referred to as E171, in accordance with European labelling requirements for food additives. The EU expert panel took into account toxicity studies of TiO₂ nanoparticles, which to this point had not been considered relevant to the safety assessment of TiO₂ as a food additive.