E171 Titanium Dioxide

E171 TITANIUM DIOXIDE or TITANIUM DIOXIDE

Titanium dioxide is a white powder of mineral origin.

It can be contained mainly in sugared almonds, chewing gum, sweets etc.

Titanium dioxide can be used in various ways:

• as a white pigment used in paints and building cement, in plastics and as a matting powder for colored paints (it is therefore called "titanium white");
• as a catalyst capable of degrading, by oxidation, numerous organic compounds;
• in the form of nanometric particles, titanium dioxide can also be used in some cosmetics (to be precise, body creams and makeup); it is also included in the formulation of some sun products due to its ability to filter out sunlight, blocking the UV component and thus protecting the skin. Currently, however, numerous studies are underway to try to understand if there is the possibility that the titanium dioxide dust can infiltrate even through the skin, then entering the bloodstream. These researches were born following the development of nanopathologies, that is those diseases caused by the exposure and subsequent permanence in the organism (animal and human) of inorganic particles so small that they cannot be removed by the organism, and as such potentially capable to cause phlogistic processes that can degenerate, in some cases, into neoplasms;
• as a food coloring indicated with the symbol E171 (M&MS-type colored sweets and snacks, artificial sweeteners, donuts)

Currently, the total innocuity of titanium dioxide has not yet been demonstrated, concerning the carcinogenic potential when ingested as an additive. In particular, some studies have pointed the finger at titanium dioxide due to its ability to increase the inflammatory bowel response in people suffering from crohn's disease, which should therefore reduce the food sources of E17 as much as possible

ADI DOSE: the currently acceptable daily dose has not yet been determined.