2006, Volume X, Issue 2

News From International Agencies

In June of this year, the Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM) of the European Food Safety Authority released an opinion on the tolerable weekly intake (TWI) of ochratoxin A (OTA).

Frequent reports of OTA contamination in a broad array of foodstuffs—from grains, nuts, seeds, dried vine fruits and spices to wine, beer, coffee, grape juice, wine, and cocoa— continue to fuel concern about OTA’s effects on human health. Numerous animal studies have confirmed that OTA causes kidney damage and that the degree of renal injury depends on both the dose of the toxin and the duration of exposure. At present, however, epidemiological data on human pathogenesis remain incomplete and do not justify classifying OTA as a potential cause of cancer in humans. While efforts to identify the mechanisms by which OTA may induce carcinogenicity continue, advanced chemical analytical procedures have so far failed to demonstrate the formation of specific OTA-DNA adducts.The most recent scientific evidence suggests that OTA’s site-specific renal toxicity, as well as DNA damage and genotoxic effects from OTA, is most likely the result of cellular oxidative damage. After reviewing a 1998 Scientific Committee on Food (SFC) opinion on OTA in light of these updated data on exposure and toxicity, the panel concluded that a cautious approach to establishing a TWI was warranted. Therefore, the panel recommended a Tolerable Weekly Intake (TWI) of 120 ng per kg body weight to protect the most vulnerable population against the harmful effects that could occur at the lowest dose.

In the European Union, levels of OTA weekly exposure range between 15 and 60 ng per kg body weight—well below the recommended TWI.The panel’s opinion also included a call for more data on the risks of OTA exposure to infants and children, as well as to adult consumers of regional food specialties susceptible to OTA contamination.

A full report on the EFSA opinion is available on their website: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/science/contam/contam_opinions/1521_en.html

MTNL Home | Contents | Next Article