Sofos, J. N., Busta, F. F., & Allen, C. E. (1979). Botulism control by nitrite and sorbate in cured meats: A review. Journal of Food Protection, 42(9), 739-770. At suitable concentrations nitrite retards Clostridium botulinum growth and delays production of its neurotoxin. 10.4315/0362-028X-42.9.739
EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food (ANS). (2017). Re-evaluation of potassium nitrite (E 249) and sodium nitrite (E 250) as food additives. EFSA Journal, 15(6), 4786. Derived an ADI of 0.07 mg nitrite ion/kg bw per day based on increased methaemoglobin. 10.2903/j.efsa.2017.4786
Guengerich, F. P. (2008). Cytochrome P450 and chemical toxicology. Chemical Research in Toxicology, 21(1), 70–83. 10.1021/tx700079z
EFSA Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM), Schrenk, D., Bignami, M., Bodin, L., Chipman, J. K., del Mazo, J., Grasl-Kraupp, B., Hogstrand, C., Hoogenboom, L., Leblanc, J.-C., Nebbia, C. S., Nielsen, E., Ntzani, E., Petersen, A., Sand, S., Schwerdtle, T., Vleminckx, C., Marko, D., Oswald, I. P., Piersma, A., Routledge, M., Schlatter, J., Baert, K., Gergelova, P., & Wallace, H. (2020). Risk assessment of aflatoxins in food. EFSA Journal, 18(3), e06040. DNA adduct formation rises linearly from very low doses (a linear non-threshold model); liver GST activity toward the activated epoxide is much lower in humans than in resistant mice; because aflatoxins are genotoxic carcinogens, no tolerable daily intake is set and exposure should be as low as reasonably achievable. 10.2903/j.efsa.2020.6040
Jancova, P., Anzenbacher, P., & Anzenbacherova, E. (2010). Phase II drug metabolizing enzymes. Biomedical Papers, 154(2), 103–116. 10.5507/bp.2010.017
Levine, M., et al. (1996). Vitamin C pharmacokinetics in healthy volunteers: evidence for a recommended dietary allowance. PNAS, 93(8), 3704–3709. In-hospital depletion-repletion study of 7 healthy volunteers (4-6 months on a diet with less than 5 mg/day), seven daily doses from 30 to 2500 mg. Bioavailability was complete for a 200 mg single dose; at single doses of 500 mg and higher bioavailability declined and the absorbed amount was excreted; plasma saturated at 1000 mg daily, white cells at 100 mg. The abstract gives no absorption percentage for 500 or 1250 mg (abstract, PMID 8623000). 10.1073/pnas.93.8.3704
EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food (ANS). (2015). Scientific opinion on the re-evaluation of ascorbic acid (E 300), sodium ascorbate (E 301) and calcium ascorbate (E 302) as food additives. EFSA Journal, 13(5), 4087. No ADI was established, as ascorbic acid and its salts are regarded as physiologically harmless at typical dietary intake levels. 10.2903/j.efsa.2015.4087
Gossner, C. M., Schlundt, J., Ben Embarek, P., Hird, S., Lo-Fo-Wong, D., Beltran, J. J. O., et al. (2009). The melamine incident: Implications for international food and feed safety. Environmental Health Perspectives, 117(12), 1803-1808. Melamine was deliberately added to diluted raw milk to inflate apparent protein content, because routine testing measures nitrogen, not protein; about 300,000 Chinese infants and young children were affected. 10.1289/ehp.0900949
World Health Organization. (2008). Toxicological and health aspects of melamine and cyanuric acid: Report of a WHO Expert Meeting, Ottawa. Established a tolerable daily intake for melamine of 0.2 mg/kg body weight. WHO reported 294,000 cases, 51,900 hospitalizations, and 6 deaths as of 1 December 2008. www.who.int/news/item/05-12-2008-experts-set-tolerable-level-for-melamine-intake
Lago, J., Rodriguez, L. P., Blanco, L., Vieites, J. M., & Cabado, A. G. (2015). Tetrodotoxin, an extremely potent marine neurotoxin: Distribution, toxicity, origin and therapeutical uses. Marine Drugs, 13(10), 6384-6406. TTX blocks fast voltage-gated sodium channels causing paralysis and respiratory failure; it is not destroyed by conventional cooking heat, and no specific antidote exists. 10.3390/md13106384
Zhang, H., Guo, Y., Chen, L., Liu, Z., Liang, J., Shi, M., et al. (2023). Epidemiology of foodborne bongkrekic acid poisoning outbreaks in China, 2010 to 2020. PLOS ONE, 18(1), e0279957. 19 outbreaks, 146 illnesses, 43 deaths; CFR 29.5%; 79.0% occurred at home; Auricularia auricula 3/5 deaths (60%). 10.1371/journal.pone.0279957
Hall, K. D., Ayuketah, A., Brychta, R., Cai, H., Cassimatis, T., Chen, K. Y., et al. (2019). Ultra-processed diets cause excess calorie intake and weight gain: an inpatient randomized controlled trial of ad libitum food intake. Cell Metabolism, 30(1), 67-77.e3. 20 inpatients, 2 weeks per diet, crossover. Meal eating rate was greater on the ultra-processed diet by 17 +/- 1 kcal/min (7.4 +/- 0.9 g/min), p < 0.0001 - that is the between-diet difference; ratings of pleasantness and familiarity did not differ (full text, PMC7946062). Diets were matched for presented calories, energy density including beverages (1.024 vs 1.028 kcal/g), macronutrients, sugar, sodium and fiber (21.3 vs 20.7 g/1000 kcal, partly via fiber supplements added to ultra-processed meals); non-beverage energy density was 1.957 vs 1.057 kcal/g (~85% higher), which the authors say likely contributed. Intake was 508 +/- 106 kcal/day greater on the ultra-processed diet (full text, Table 1 and Results). 10.1016/j.cmet.2019.05.008
Lane, M. M., Gamage, E., Du, S., Ashtree, D. N., McGuinness, A. J., Gauci, S., et al. (2024). Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses. BMJ, 384, e077310. Umbrella review of 45 pooled analyses (about 9.9 million people): direct associations for 32 (71%) outcomes. Class I (convincing): cardiovascular disease mortality RR 1.50 (1.37-1.63; GRADE very low), type 2 diabetes dose-response RR 1.12 (1.11-1.13; moderate), prevalent anxiety OR 1.48 and common mental disorders OR 1.53 (low). Class II: all-cause mortality RR 1.21 (1.15-1.27; low), heart disease mortality HR 1.66, type 2 diabetes OR 1.40 (very low), depression HR 1.22, adverse sleep outcomes OR 1.41, wheezing RR 1.40 and obesity OR 1.55 (all low). Overall 22 pooled analyses were low quality, 19 very low and 4 moderate; all observational (abstract, PMID 38418082). 10.1136/bmj-2023-077310
Monteiro, C. A., Cannon, G., Levy, R. B., Moubarac, J. C., Louzada, M. L. C., Rauber, F., et al. (2019). Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them. Public Health Nutrition, 22(5), 936-941. 10.1017/S1368980018003762
EFSA Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain. (2008). Nitrate in vegetables — scientific opinion. EFSA Journal, 6(6), 689. Leafy vegetables (including spinach) are major dietary nitrate sources; dietary nitrate from vegetables is part of the nitrate-nitrite-nitric-oxide pathway. 10.2903/j.efsa.2008.689
National Health Commission & State Administration for Market Regulation of the PRC. (2025). National food safety standard: General rules for the labelling of prepackaged foods (GB 7718-2025). Issued 2025-03-16, effective 2027-03-16. Prohibits no-added and zero-added claims and their synonyms; no-content claims remain permitted only where the component is genuinely 0 or below the method's detection limit. www.news.cn/politics/20250327/9360e28149a44e4898de8ece0305fc6c/c.html