INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMME ON CHEMICAL SAFETY

    WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION



    TOXICOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF SOME
    FOOD COLOURS, EMULSIFIERS, STABILIZERS,
    ANTI-CAKING AGENTS AND CERTAIN
    OTHER SUBSTANCES



    FAO Nutrition Meetings Report Series 
    No. 46A WHO/FOOD ADD/70.36




    The content of this document is the result of the deliberations of the
    Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives which met in Rome,
    27 May - 4 June 19691





    Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

    World Health Organization



                   
    1 Thirteenth report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food
    Additives, FAO Nutrition Meetings Report Series, in press;
    Wld Hlth Org. techn.  Rep. Ser., in press.


    CHLOROPHYLL

    Biological Data

    Biochemical aspects

    Concentrations of 10 mg per cent. chlorophyll inhibit liver cell
    suspensions. Large doses (150 mg/kg body-weight i.v., 500 mg/kg oral)
    lower the body temperature of mice. Only some 3 per cent. of
    chlorophyll is absorbed by the gastro-intestinal tract (Heinrichs et
    al., 1954). Most of the human intake of chlorophyll comes from green
    vegetables but small doses of 5 or 600 mg have been consumed daily as
    tablets against body odour. The free chlorophyll acid or the
    methyl-phytyl ester are insoluble in water or acid media. Ingested
    chlorophyll is excreted as phaeophytin in the faeces, the proportion
    varying from 43 - 77 per cent. (Brugsch & Sheard, 1938). The full
    metabolic fate is not known. Sodium chlorophyllin has a hypotensive
    and diuretic effect, if given parenterally (Levshin, 1958).

    Acute toxicity

                                                                        
    Animal      Route    (mg/kg body-weight)      Reference
                                                                        

    Mouse       oral    >10 g (water soluble)     Heinrichs et al., 1954

                i.p.    400 mg (water soluble)    Heinrichs et al., 1954

                i.v.    285 mg (water soluble)    Heinrichs et al., 1954

    Guinea-pig  i.v.    80* mg (water soluble)    Heinrichs et al., 1954
                                                                        

    *MLD

    Short-term studies

    None available.

    Long-term studies

    None available.

    Comments

    Soluble chlorophyll as specified has a low toxicity. Although
    chlorophyll has been ingested by man in his food since the dawn of
    history, in recent years phytol-intolerance due to a rare inborn error
    of metabolism has been defined as the clinical syndrome of Refsum's
    disease. Knowledge about the use of chlorophyll as a food colour may
    therefore be important to clinicians.

    EVALUATION

    Not limited except for good manufacturing practice.

    REFERENCES

    Brugsch, J. T. & Sheard, C. (1938) J. Lab. clin. Med., 24, 230

    Heinrichs, D., Rummel, W. & Schunk, R. (1954) Arzneim - Forsch.,
    4, 19

    Levshin, B. J. (1958) Farmakol i Toksikol, 21, 46
    

    See Also:
       Toxicological Abbreviations