Characterisation of engineered titanium dioxide nanoparticles in selected food

ABSTRACT

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂), an E171 manufacturer-made food additive, is extensively utilised as a colourant in drug and a food products. Some studies showed that most of confectionary and food items contain inexplicable particles. The aim of this article is to determine the size and structure of TiO₂ nanoparticles in different food products. Ten food samples, including coffee cream, white chocolate concentrate, frosting, gum, yoghurt candy, hard candies and chewy candies, were investigated for this purpose. The crystalline structure and particle size of TiO₂ were determined by Powder X-ray Diffraction (PXRD) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). TEM images revealed that a few of the extracted nanoparticles had a rod-like shape, but most were spherical. Also, the size of the TiO₂ particle had a wide distribution between 12 and 450 nm. Thus, to avoid human health risk, crucial factors such as size, and shape should be considered and regulated by food authorities.

KEYWORDS:

• Titanium dioxide
• E171
• food additives
• nanomaterials
• XRD
• TEM

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the Electrochemical Sciences Research Chair (ESRC), Chemistry Department at King Saud University and King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC) for instrumental support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Authors’ contributions

Mohammed A. Al Mutairi: Corresponding author designed experiments, assisted with the experiments, wrote the manuscript, and revised the manuscript; Norah M. BinSaeedan: Co-author designed experiments, involved in the experiments, wrote the manuscript, and revised the manuscript; Khulood K. Alnabat: Co-author assisted with the experiments; Abdulaziz Alotaibi: Co-author assisted with the experiments; Abdullah M. Al-Mayouf: Co-author wrote and revised the manuscript; Rizwan Ali: Co-author assisted with the experiments; Abdullah M. Alowaifeer: Co-author revised the manuscript.

Consent to participate

All authors accepted to participate in the work, and all revised the submitted version.

Disclaimer

Conclusions reached in this article are based on the personal scientific interpretations of the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinion of SFDA.

Additional information

Funding

This study was financially supported by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA). The authors are grateful to the Research and Laboratories Sector in SFDA for their keen interest in the study and instrumental support.