E551: what is it and why is this additive under suspicion?

The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) is not clear that the additive E551 (silicon dioxide) is safe for health. The agency warns that this additive may contain nanoparticles whose effect on the body is unknown.

Could contain unsafe nanoparticles

Silicon dioxide, which is obtained from quartz in rocks and sand, is also known as synthetic amorphous silicon. Is used as food additive in different forms: fumed silica and hydrated silica (including silica gel).

It is generally considered that the body barely absorbs silicon dioxide and that this makes it innocuous, but residues of materials that contain it have been detected in some tissues.

Although the researchers admit that there is no evidence that the use of E551 could be harmful in the amounts used, they point out that there is a lack of data to confirm its safety and calls for clarification of the regulations and for toxicological tests to be carried out.

Remember that some of the toxicity studies were carried out in the 1960s and 1970s, with analysis methods that did not make it possible to determine if the silicon or silicon dioxide content was being measured, or if it came from the food additive E551, if it was naturally present or if it corresponded to other sources.

Furthermore, the additive is composed of agglomerates of primary nanoparticles larger than 100 nm. However, depending on the material used to obtain it and the process used to manufacture the additive, “it cannot be totally ruled out,” says the agency, “that some of these agglomerates have some dimensions less than 100 nm“, the limit from which it should be indicated on the label that a product contains nanoparticles.

As a food additive, silicon dioxide used as an anti-caking agent and to absorb moisture in powdered and crushed products.

Between the foods it can be found in they are: spices, garlic powder, instant soups, grated cheeses, fried foods, chewing gum, sushi rice… It is also common to add it to supplements, to prevent the different ingredients from sticking together.

The problem of knowing whether or not a product has nanoparticles

The lack of certainty about the effects that nanoparticles could have on our health has led to the imposition of the obligation to report their presence on the label of products that contain or could contain them.

Recently, due to the controversy generated by several food scandals, the French government analyzed thousands of products to review different aspects related to food safety. One of the aspects that he noticed was the presence of nanoparticles in commonly used products and if that presence was reflected in the labeling.

Of the 40 cosmetic products analyzed, it detected nanoparticles smaller than 100 nm in 87% of the samples. Regarding food products, including bakery products, decorations for confectionery and spices, Nanoparticles were detected in 39% of the 74 foods analyzed.

However, that presence it was barely reflected on the labelsso consumers were using or consuming them without the possibility of knowing that they might contain nanoparticles.