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
CINNAMALDEHYDE
Chemical name Cinnamic aldehyde
Synonym Cinnamal
Empirical formula C9H8O
Structural formula
Molecular weight 132.16
Definition Cinnamaldehyde contains not less than 98 per
cent. C9H8O.
Description Cinnamaldehyde is the main constituent of
oils of cassia, cinnamon barks and roots. It
is usually prepared synthetically. It is a
yellow, strongly refractive liquid, having an
odour resembling that of cinnamon oil, and a
burning aromatic taste. It is affected by
light.
Biological Data
Biochemical aspects
This aldehyde is probably oxidized to cinnamic acid and then to
benzoic acid (Friedmann & Mai, 1931).
Acute toxicity
Animal Route LD50 REFERENCES
(mg/kg
body-weight)
Mouse i.p. 200 Leone, 1916
Rat oral 2220 Jenner et al., 1964
Guinea-pig oral 1160 Jenner et al, 1967
Short-term studies
Rat. In a 12-week feeding study on a mixture of cinnamyl
compounds there was slight retardation of growth of males and lowering
of food utilization in both sexes at 90 mg/kg body-weight/day. In
another study lasting for 16 weeks groups of 10 male and 10 female
rats were fed diets containing 0, 0.1, 0.25 and 1.0 per cent. of
aldehyde. At the highest level there was slight swelling of hepatic
cells and some hyperkeratosis of the epithelium of the forestomach
(Hagan et al., 1967).
Long-term studies
None available.
Comments
Despite the scanty metabolic data the evaluation is based on the
available short-term studies. Biochemical and long term studies are
needed.
EVALUATION
Level causing no toxicological effect
Rat: 0.25 per cent. (= 2500 ppm) in the diet, equivalent to 125
mg/kg body-weight/day.
Estimate of acceptable daily intake for man
mg/kg body-weight
Conditional acceptance 0-1.25
Further work required
Biochemical and metabolic studies and long-term studies.
REFERENCES
Friedmann, E. & Mai, H. (1931) Biochem. Z., 242, 282
Hagan, E. C., Hansen, W. H., Fitzhugh, O. G., Jenner, P. M., Jones, W.
I., Taylor, J. M., Long., E. L., Nelson, A. A. & Brouwer, J. B. (1967)
Fd Cosmet. Toxicol., 5, (2), 141
Jenner, P. M., Hagen, E. C., Taylor, J. M., Cook, E. L. & Fitzhugh,
O. G. (1964) Fd Cosmet. Toxicol., 2, 327
Leone, G. (1916) Arch. farm. Sper., 22, 327
Oser, B. L. (1967) Unpublished report