Acceptable Daily Intakes antioxidants

Toxicological studies are crucial in determining the safety of an antioxidant and also in determining the acceptable daily intake (ADI) levels. ADIs for widely used antioxidants such as BHA, BHT and gallates have changed over the years mainly because of their toxicological effects in various species.3 Table... 

The standards and limits adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission are intended for formal acceptance by governments in accordance with its general principles. Codex Alimentarius permits only those antioxidants which have been evaluated by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) for use in foods. Antioxidants may be used only in foods standardised by Codex. The antioxidant provisions of Codex Commodity Standards are included in and superseded by the provision of this Standard. Food categories or individual foods where the use of additives are not allowed or are restricted are defined by this Standard. The primary objective of establishing permitted levels of use of antioxidants in various food groups is to ensure that the intake does not exceed the acceptable daily intake (ADI). 

Internationally, the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) periodically considers food additives, including antioxidants, on the basis of all available scientific data to establish acceptable daily intake levels (92) and specifications on the identity and purity of the additives. The conclusions of JECFA are published in numerous reports and technological summaries by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the WHO Technical Report Series and WHO Food Additives Series. Such information provided by JECFA is used by the Joint FAO/ WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission in implementing the Joint FAO/WHO Standards Program, which was established to elaborate international standards for foods to protect the health of consumers, to ensure fair practices in food trade, and to facilitate international trade (90). 

TABLE 10. Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) Levels of Antioxidants Commonly Used as Food Additives. 

The WHO has set an acceptable daily intake of tocopherol used as an antioxidant at 0.15-2.0 mg/kg body-weight. ... 

The body can absorb about 500 mg of ascorbic acid daily with any excess immediately excreted by the kidneys. Large doses may cause diarrhea or other gastrointestinal disturbances. Damage to the teeth has also been reported. However, no adverse effects have been reported at the levels employed as an antioxidant in foods and pharmaceuticals. The WHO has set an acceptable daily intake of ascorbic acid, potassium ascorbate, and sodium ascorbate, as antioxidants in food, at up to 15mg/kg body-weight in addition to that naturally present in food. ... 

Sodium sulfite is widely used in food and pharmaceutical applications as an antioxidant. It is generally regarded as relatively nontoxic and nonirritant when used as an excipient. However, contact dermatitis and hypersensitivity reactions have been reported. The acceptable daily intake for sodium sulfite has been set at up to 350 gg/kg bodyweight daily. ... 

Alkyl gallates are mainly used to protect fats, oils, and fat-containing food from rancidity that results from the formation of peroxides. Their use as antioxidant additives is regulated by legal authorities in a limited number of foods, with maximum limits in each case. The acceptable PG daily intake (ADI) recommended by the joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) is 0-1.4 mg of additive per kilogram body weight, and the maximum level recommended in foodstuffs is 200 mg/kg [1]. A recent reevaluation by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) of PG as food additive has concluded that it is not of safety concern at the current uses and use levels [2]. 

Daily levels of acceptable intake (ADI) according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations are 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7 mg kg body weight/day for BHT, BHA, and TBHQ, respectively. ADI values for various antioxidants and other food additives can be found in the FAO website (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2014). 

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