tio2 safety factories

TiO2 has been well accepted in the food industry and can be found as the E171 additive in various food products, mainly for whitening and texture. It is present in some cottage and Mozzarella cheeses, horseradish cream and sauces, lemon curd, and in low-fat products such as skimmed milk and ice-cream. Even if the product is labelled as containing E171, no information is usually given about the quantity, particle size and particle structure. FDA claims that TiO2 may be safely used as a colour additive for colouring foods in quantities up to 1 % by weight of the food. Interestingly, TiO2 is frequently declared as a “natural colouring agent” and is therefore well accepted by consumers.

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  • In addition to the toxic effects of TiO2 NPs, discussed in previous chapters, these NPs have been also shown to promote photosynthesis and nitrogen metabolism, resulting in the enhanced growth of spinach. It increases the absorption of light and accelerates the transfer and transformation of the light energy. It was also found that treatment with nano-sized TiO2 significantly increased the level of antioxidant enzymes, and decreased the ROS accumulation and malonyldialdehyde content in spinach chloroplasts under visible and UV irradiation. TiO2 NPs also increased the superoxide dismutase activity of germinating soybean, enhanced its antioxidant ability, and promoted seed germination and seedling growth.