TY - JOUR
T1 - Safety of Eurycoma longifolia (Tongkat Ali) root extract as a novel food pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283
AU - Turck, Dominique
AU - Bohn, Torsten
AU - Castenmiller, Jacqueline
AU - De Henauw, Stefaan
AU - Hirsch-Ernst, Karen Ildico
AU - Maciuk, Alexandre
AU - Mangelsdorf, Inge
AU - McArdle, Harry J.
AU - Naska, Androniki
AU - Pelaez, Carmen
AU - Pentieva, Kristina
AU - Siani, Alfonso
AU - Thies, Frank
AU - Tsabouri, Sophia
AU - Vinceti, Marco
AU - Cubadda, Francesco
AU - Frenzel, Thomas
AU - Heinonen, Marina
AU - Maradona, Miguel Prieto
AU - Marchelli, Rosangela
AU - Neuhaeuser-Berthold, Monika
AU - Poulsen, Morten
AU - Schlatter, Josef Rudolf
AU - van Loveren, Henk
AU - Matijevic, Leonard
AU - Knutsen, Helle Katrine
PY - 2021/12/22
Y1 - 2021/12/22
N2 - Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA) was asked to deliver an opinion on Eurycoma longifolia (Tongkat Ali) root extract as a novel food (NF) pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283. The NF is standardised water extract prepared from the dried ground root chips of Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma longifolia Jack) and proposed by the applicant to be used as food supplement in amounts up to 200 mg/day. The target population is the adult population, except pregnant and lactating women. The characteristic components of the NF are glycosaponins (40-65%) and eurycomanone (0.8-1.5%). It can also contain canthin-6-one alkaloids and isoscopoletin (coumarin). The NF has been present in various international markets since 2009. The Panel notes positive results from the submitted in vitro chromosome aberration test, which indicates clastogenic properties of the NF. In the requested follow-up in vivo mammalian alkaline comet assay, the NF induced positive results at the highest dose tested (2,000 mg/kg body weight (bw)) at the tissues of the first site of contact (stomach and duodenum). Histopathological evaluation of the tested tissues indicated that the positive results of the comet assay were rather due to genotoxicity than cytotoxicity. Taken together, the Panel concludes that the NF has the potential to induce DNA damage, which is of concern, particularly locally for tissues that represent first sites of contact. The Panel concludes that the safety of NF has not been established under any condition of use.
AB - Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA) was asked to deliver an opinion on Eurycoma longifolia (Tongkat Ali) root extract as a novel food (NF) pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283. The NF is standardised water extract prepared from the dried ground root chips of Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma longifolia Jack) and proposed by the applicant to be used as food supplement in amounts up to 200 mg/day. The target population is the adult population, except pregnant and lactating women. The characteristic components of the NF are glycosaponins (40-65%) and eurycomanone (0.8-1.5%). It can also contain canthin-6-one alkaloids and isoscopoletin (coumarin). The NF has been present in various international markets since 2009. The Panel notes positive results from the submitted in vitro chromosome aberration test, which indicates clastogenic properties of the NF. In the requested follow-up in vivo mammalian alkaline comet assay, the NF induced positive results at the highest dose tested (2,000 mg/kg body weight (bw)) at the tissues of the first site of contact (stomach and duodenum). Histopathological evaluation of the tested tissues indicated that the positive results of the comet assay were rather due to genotoxicity than cytotoxicity. Taken together, the Panel concludes that the NF has the potential to induce DNA damage, which is of concern, particularly locally for tissues that represent first sites of contact. The Panel concludes that the safety of NF has not been established under any condition of use.
KW - Novel food
KW - Eurycoma longifolia
KW - water extract
KW - food supplement
KW - genotoxicity
UR - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34987621
U2 - 10.2903/j.efsa.2021.6937
DO - 10.2903/j.efsa.2021.6937
M3 - Article
C2 - 34987621
SN - 1831-4732
VL - 19
JO - EFSA Journal
JF - EFSA Journal
IS - 12
M1 - e06937
ER -