FAO Nutrition Meetings
    Resort Series No. 44A
    WHO/Food Add./68.33




    TOXICOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF SOME
    FLAVOURING SUBSTANCES AND
    NON-NUTRITIVE SWEETENING AGENTS





    Geneva, 21-28 August 1967



    The Eleventh Report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food
    Additives is published as FAO Nutrition Meetings Report Series,
    1967, No. 44; Wld Hlth Org. techn. Rep. Ser., 1968, 383. This
    Report contains general considerations, including the principles
    adopted for the evaluation, and a summary of the results of the
    evaluations of a number of food additives. Additional information,
    such as biological data and a toxicological evaluation, considered at
    that meeting, is to be found in this document.


    Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
    World Health Organization
    1967


    CITRONELLOL

    90 per cent. and 98 per cent. total alcohols

    Chemical name                 Citronellol

    Empirical formula             C10H20O

    Structural formula

    

    Molecular weight              156.27

    Definition                    Citronellol, 90 per cent. total
                                  alcohols, contains not less than 90 per
                                  cent. C10H20O
                                  Citronellol, 98 per cent. total
                                  alcohols, contains not less than 98 per
                                  cent. C10H20O.

    Description                   Citronellol may be obtained by reduction
                                  of citronellal or geraniol, or by
                                  fractional distillation of geranium oil
                                  or citronella oil. It may also be
                                  prepared synthetically. It is a
                                  colourleas oily liquid having a
                                  rose-like odour.

    Biological Data

    Biochemical aspects

         In rabbits this alcohol metabolizes to 7-carboxy-and
    7-hydroxymethyl-3-methylocta-6-enoic acids, and these are excreted in
    the urine (Fischer & Bielig, 1940).

    Acute toxicity

         None available.

    Short-Term Studies

         Rat. In a 12-week feeding study on 15 males and 15 females,
    using mixed alcohols, there was slightly retarded rate of growth of
    males without effect on food utilization at 50 mg/kg body-weight/day
    (Oser, 1967).

    Long-term studies

         None available.

    Comments

         The available biochemical information is scanty but the
    short-term study can be used as a basis for evaluation. 1

    EVALUATION

    Estimate of acceptable daily intake for man

                                       mg/kg-body-weight

        Conditional acceptance               0-0.25

    Further work required

         Biochemical and metabolic studies and long-term studies.1

    REFERENCES

    Fischer, F. G. & Bielig, H. J. (1940) Hoppe-Seylers Z., 266, 73

    Oser, B. L. (1967) Unpublished report


                   

    1 When considering the group of flavouring substances citral, 
    citronellol, linalol, linalyl acetate and geranyl acetate, the
    Committee stressed the urgent need to elucidate the metabolic pathways
    which may be common to these widely distributed substances. They found
    it reasonable to require that one or more of these substances should
    be made the subject of long-term studies. Whether this limitation can
    be made and which substances should be chosen may follow from a
    consideration of the biochemical evidence when this becomes available.
    

    See Also:
       Toxicological Abbreviations