Biomolecular interaction and kinematics differences between P25 and E171 TiO2 nanoparticles

Abstract Titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) nanoparticles (NPs) are used abundantly as food additives (E171). For the purpose of risk assessment, it is imperative to understand the behavior of these nanoparticles in a food relevant environment, and their consequent toxicology impacts. However, most of such studies use model TiO 2 NPs (P25) as substitutes for E171. To understand the suitability of this approach, we investigated the functional behavior of E171 and P25 in solutions of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and sucrose as model food ingredients. Our data showed that E171 were better dispersed in BSA than P25. In sucrose, E171 displayed a reduction in agglomerated size while P25 agglomerated extensively. Adsorption studies showed that P25 attracted more pronounced corona formation per unit mass of material compared to E171. In vitro sedimentation, diffusion and dosimetry (ISDD) results demonstrated that the time-weighted dosage of E171 was more than two-folds higher than P25, implying that any test performed using P25 to model E171 would underestimate actual dosage and potential toxicity. Taken collectively, this study demonstrated the specificity of TiO 2 nanoparticle interaction with food ingredients, and the importance of using food-grade E171 TiO 2 for food-relevant toxicological assessments.