INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMME ON CHEMICAL SAFETY
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
SUMMARY OF TOXICOLOGICAL DATA OF CERTAIN FOOD ADDITIVES
AND CONTAMINANTS
WHO FOOD ADDITIVES SERIES NO. 13
The data contained in this document were examined by the
Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives*
Rome, 3-12 April 1978
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
World Health Organization
* Twenty-second Report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food
Additives, Geneva, 1978, WHO Technical Report Series No. 631
QUINOLINE YELLOW
Explanation
This colour was evaluated by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee
on Food Additives in 1964, 1969, 1974, 1975 and 1977. The following
additional study has become available.
BIOLOGICAL DATA
Special study on reproduction
Groups of 20 female and 10 male rats were fed 0, 0.5, 5.0, 15.0
and 50.0 mg/kg/day in the diet starting two weeks prior to first
mating and continued through three successive generations, three, two
and one litters per generation being produced respectively. Dams were
allowed to deliver their offspring and raise them to weaning for all
mating periods except F2c when half of the dams were sacrificed on
day 19 of gestation and their uterine contents examined. Offspring
from the various matings were autopsied at weaning or selected to
become parents of the next generation. Five rats/sex/dose level from
F1b parents and the F3a pups were subjected to gross pathological
examination and selected tissues from the animals of the control and
high dose groups were examined microscopically. No compound-related
effects were observed in parental mortality, body weight, food
consumption, mating, pregnancy and fertility rates, pup survival, pup
body weight, reproductive parameters including numbers of embryos,
corpora lutea, resorptions or necropsy findings. No gross or
histological abnormalities were noted in the tissues of the F1b or
F3a generation rats which could be attributed to colour consumption
(Smith, 1973).
REFERENCE
Smith, J. M. (1973) A three generation reproduction study of quinoline
yellow in rats. Unpublished report submitted to the Inter-Industry
Colour Committee by Biodynamics Inc.