In some studies, E171 was given to animals in drinking water without the stabilizers that keep E171 suspended in the liquid. Without stabilizers, E171 can settle and prevent the ingredient from combining with surrounding ingredients.

Recent analyses of food-grade TiO₂ samples have found that a significant portion of particles may be within the nanoscale. These particles (also known as nanoparticles) range in size from 1 to 100 nm, where 1 nm equals 1 billionth of a metre (the width of a typical human hair is 80,000 to 100,000 nm).