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
GAMMA-NONALACTONE
Chemical name Gamma-Nonalactone
Empirical formula C9H16O2
Structural formula CH3(CH2)4CHCH2CH2
' '
O -- C = O
Molecular weight 156.23
Definition gamma-Nonalactone contains not less than
97 per cent. C9H16O2.
Description A nearly colourless to yellow liquid
having a strong odour suggestive of
coconut.
Biological Data
Biochemical aspects
This lactone was found to open the ring on incubation with rat
liver homogenate, and 62-88 per cent. was hydrolysed (Oser, 1967).
Acute toxicity
Animal Route LD50 References
(mg/kg
body-weight)
Rat oral 9780 Jenner et al., 1964
Guinea-pig oral 3440 Jenner et al., 1964
Short-term studies
Rat. In a 12-week feeding study on 15 males and 15 females,
using mixed lactones, a slight reduction in the growth rate was noted
at a level of 32.7 mg/kg body-weight/day (Oser, 1967). A 90-day study
on 15 male and 15 female rats fed 0 or 67.5 mg/kg body-weight/day
showed no adverse effect (Oser et al., 1965).
Long-term studies
Rat. Groups of 20 male and 20 female rats were fed diets
containing 0, 0.1 and 0.5 per cent. of nonalactone for 2 years without
any adverse effects being noted (Baer & Griepentrog, 1967).
Comments
The long-term studies in rats compensate for the inadequate
information on the metabolic fate of this compound, and serve as basis
for the evaluation. Nevertheless, as only one species has been
investigated, metabolic studies and studies in other species are
desirable.
EVALUATION
Level causing no toxicological effect
Rat. 0.5 per cent. (= 5000 ppm) of the diet, equivalent to 250
mg/kg body-weight/day.
Estimate of acceptable daily intake for man
mg/kg body-weight
Unconditional acceptance 0-1.25
REFERENCES
Baer, F. & Griepentrog, F. (1967) Med. Ehrnährung, 8, 244
Jenner, P. M., Hagan, E. C., Taylor, J. M., Cook, E. L. & Fitzhugh, O.
C. (1964) Fd Cosmet. Toxicol., 2, 327
Oser, B. L., Carson, S. & Oser, M. (1965) Fd Cosmet. Toxicol., 3,
563
Oser, B. L. (1967) Unpublished report