Safety assessment of three common food additives: the reproductive, oxidative and enzymatic perspective

This investigation was designed to evaluate the reproductive toxicity induced by potassium bromate (at doses of 50, 40, 30, 20, and 10 mg/kg), sodium benzoate (at doses of 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 mg/kg), and caramel IV (at a dose of 200 mg/kg for 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 weeks) in male albino mice through the assessments of sperm abnormality and sperm count. The concentrations of the three additives tested were chosen purposefully based on the acceptable daily intake of each of the additives by standard organizations. The level of Total Testosterone (TT), Luteinizing Hormone (LH), and Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), as well as the activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), were also measured. The results obtained showed that all three tested food additives led to a statistically significant (p < 0.05) increase in abnormal sperm cells among exposed mice. The sperm abnormalities observed include folded sperm, amorphous heads, distal droplets, absent hooks, improper tail attachments, and looped tails. Furthermore, it was observed that only mice exposed to potassium bromate and caramel exhibited a statistically significant decrease in mean sperm count. Alterations in the levels and activities of TT, ALT, FSH, AST, LH, and ALP were also observed to be concentration-dependent in the exposed mice. The findings suggest that the reproductive toxicity and changes in enzyme activities in the treated mice are dependent on the concentration of potassium bromate and sodium benzoate, as well as the duration of exposure to caramel IV. These indicate that high consumption of foods or beverages containing potassium bromate, sodium benzoate, and caramel IV colourant may induce reproductive abnormalities in the consumers.