Our scientific experts applied for the first time the 2018 EFSA Scientific Committee Guidance on Nanotechnology to the safety assessment of food additives. Titanium dioxide E 171 contains at most 50% of particles in the nano range (i.e. less than 100 nanometres) to which consumers may be exposed.  

In a review published in 2022 in the journal Archives of Toxicology, researchers found that the ingestion of E171 is a “a definite health risk for consumers and their progeny.” After reviewing dozens of in vivo, ex vivo and in vitro studies on the toxicity of E171, the researchers wrote that two facts must be noted: “First, reprotoxicity studies show that animals of both sexes are impacted by the toxicity of these nanoparticles, underlining the importance of conducting in vivo studies using both male and female animals. Second, human exposure begins in utero via maternal-fetal transfer and continues after birth by breastfeeding. Children are then chronically re-exposed due to their food preferences. To be relevant to the human in vivo situation, experimental studies should therefore consider nanoparticle exposure with respect to the age or life period of the studied population.”

Some food products will include titanium dioxide on their nutrition label. But again, it can be hard to tell for those who don't list the ingredient. 

That being said, most experts tell us that these potential health risks shouldn’t trouble us, because titanium dioxide has been used in the market for decades, and no adverse reactions have been reported by users. The bottom line is that when used correctly, titanium dioxide should be a safe ingredient that’s safe for all skin types, every day

Europe

An inorganic chemical, titanium dioxide is used as a dye to help products achieve a certain appearance, including whitening a product. Some experts and publications have described it as being akin to a paint primer that's used before the color is added to food in order to give products a uniform shine. Its presence is common in many items beyond Skittles including coffee creamers, cake mixes, and chewing gum. It's also used for pigment and in cosmetics manufacturing.

Example of partial substitution of titanium dioxide with lithopone supplier 30% in a white masterbatch 

The applications in which it can be used are paints, inks, plastics, elastomers, paper, fillers, adhesives… 

In a study published in the journal Toxicology, researchers examined the effects of exposing human colon cancer cell line (HTC116) titanium dioxide food additives in vitro. “In the absence of cytotoxicity, E171 was accumulated in the cells after 24 hours of exposure, increasing granularity and reactive oxygen species, inducing alterations in the molecular pattern of nucleic acids and lipids, and causing nuclei enlargement, DNA damage and tubulin depolymerization,” the scientists wrote. Researchers removed the additive from the culture, then examined the results 48 hours later. They found, “The removal of E171 was unable to revert the alterations found after 24 h of exposure in colon cells. In conclusion, exposure to E171 causes alterations that cannot be reverted after 48 h if E171 is removed from colon cells.”

Titanium Dioxide is largely produced by the reduction of titanium tetrachloride, obtained in turn from chlorination of natural rutile, synthetic rutile derived from ilmenite or even slags rich in TiO2 produced by metallurgical treatment of ilmenite. TiO2 is also manufactured by treatment of ilmenite with sulfuric acid. Raw materials and the respective production processes employed in the manufacturing of Titanium Dioxide are listed below.

When asked about the recent Skittles lawsuit, the FDA said the agency does not comment on pending litigation.

The updated evaluation revises the outcome of EFSA’s previous assessment published in 2016, which highlighted the need for more research to fill data gaps.  

The pricing of lithopone pigments can fluctuate based on several factors, including raw material costs, production processes, and market demand. Typically, wholesale prices reflect the bulk purchasing power, enabling businesses to acquire these materials at a lower cost per unit. Over the years, the market has seen fluctuations in prices due to changes in the supply chain and global economic conditions. It is crucial for buyers to stay informed about these trends to budget effectively and maintain profitability.

At present, the equipment and manufacturing process of domestic manufacturers of polyvinyl butyral are constantly getting closer to those abroad. For example, the wonderful use of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) has occurred in the printing industry and ceramic industry. Therefore, the domestic application of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) has an obvious upward trend in recent years.

For example, in the glass industry, it is because polyvinyl butyral (PVB) has good low-temperature impact strength, windability, light transmittance, light resistance, weather resistance, sound insulation, UV insulation and other properties, so that once the laminated glass is sealed together, the glass sandwich (i.e. laminated material) will appear as a whole and look like ordinary glass. For example, in the porcelain industry, polyvinyl butyral is made into a film and used for printing paper film of ceramic (or enamel) products. First, it reduces the original glue small paper Decal process, reduces the production cycle and production cost, and second, it makes its ceramic (or enamel) patterns bright in color and smooth in texture.

With the rapid development of science and technology in recent years, more and more industries have found the characteristics of polyvinyl butyral (PVB): high strength, high toughness, fatigue resistance, corrosion resistance and so on. Compared with traditional materials, polyvinyl butyral (PVB) is more and more widely used because of its larger development space and wider application fields!

Application field of polyvinyl butyral -- safety glass

The membrane made of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) is a special product used to manufacture safety glass and bulletproof glass. Safety glass is a special glass made of a layer of PVB diaphragm sandwiched between two layers of ordinary glass. It has good low-temperature impact strength, windability, light transmittance, light resistance, weather resistance, sound insulation, ultraviolet insulation and other properties. When subjected to strong external impact, PVB diaphragm can absorb impact energy, so that the glass will not break or prevent debris from hurting people. Moreover, the safety glass added with PVB diaphragm has the characteristics of high transparency, water resistance and aging resistance, and can be used in the environment of - 60 ℃. In addition, it can also be used as transparent material to replace plexiglass.

Application field of polyvinyl butyral -- ceramic film flower paper

It is suitable as an alternative to titanium dioxide when higher acid resistance is required, such as in adhesive joints and sealants.