There is some concern regarding skin and intestinal absorption of titanium dioxide nanoparticles, which are less than 100 nm in diameter.
Lithopone is a mixed zinc sulfide-barium sulfate brilliant white pigment that contains about 30% zinc sulfide. The original light sensitiveness of this pigment has been mitigated by purification and by the addition of such agents as polythionates and cobalt sulfate.
Following six months of phasing out the additive, titanium dioxide will be completely banned in the European Union starting August 7. France had previously banned the use of titanium dioxide in food starting in January 2020.
The vitaminB2@TiO2NPs were obtained at room temperature, by a method developed after trying several ratios of reactants. Briefly, 0.02 g of P25TiO2NPs were dispersed in 1 mL of ultra-pure water and stirred in a Vortex. Next, 200 μl of vitamin B2 dissolved in ultra-pure water (5.3 × 10−3 M) were added to 200 μL of P25TiO2NPs and the mixture was ultrasonicated for 1 hour to achieve a deep-yellow homogeneous suspension. The pellet obtained after centrifuging the suspension for 10 min at 4500 rpm was resuspended in ultrapure water, centrifuged again, and then lyophilized.
Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a fine white powder or dust that occurs naturally. It was first intentionally produced for use as a white pigment in 1923.
EFSA's evaluation is related to the risks of TiO2 used as a food additive, not to other uses.