C10, M72
ENEA Technology
INTEGRATED, HIGH PERFORMANCE APPROACH FOR TOXICOLOGICAL AND FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF ACTIVE INGREDIENTS AND COMPLEX MIXTURES IN FOOD
Technology Readiness Level (TRL)
4÷6
Innovations and Benefits
Development and integration of genotoxicity tests and multiparametric analyses of cellular functionality in state-of-the-art in vitro cell systems for a high performance toxicological screening of active ingredients and complex mixtures. Development and implementation of an innovative approach to exploit mouse models for hazard characterization and risk assessment associated with oral exposure to potentially harmful substances: assessment of genotoxic damage at multiple complexity levels, DNA, gene, chromosome; integration of organ-specific toxicity/genotoxicity analyses in validated sub-chronic toxicity testing to improve cost-effectiveness ratio of animal experiments.
Use
Consultancy services to companies producing dietary supplements and fitoextracts in order to:
- contribute to safety assessment of plant extracts and vegetal waste derived biomolecules employed as phytotherapeutic medicinal products or nutraceuticals;
- contribute to determine the functional properties (antioxidizing and antimutagenic activities) of vegetable extracts used as dietary supplements.
Applications and ongoing Activities
The ENEA Laboratory of Biosafety and Risk Assessmentprovides consultancy services to companies for the toxicological assessment of plant extracts. Currently, the Laboratory is taking part in a Project funded by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) aiming at the toxicological characterization of food mycotoxins. Within a EU Seventh Framework Programme Project, the Laboratory participates in a study aiming at the toxicological evaluation of nanoparticles used as food additive.
“If you are interested in this technology/service, please send a message to eneaperlinnovazione@enea.it, by specifying the title of the technology/service of your interest, the reason for your request and your contacts or the contacts of a person from your organization/company.
