The Safety Assessment of Novel Foods and New Nutrient Sources

Novel Foods (NF) are foods derived from unconventional sources like microorganisms, fungi, plants, or animals, produced through innovative processes or newly synthesized compounds, and have not been significantly consumed in traditional diets. These foods offer substantial opportunities for innovation in the food industry while addressing sustainability needs. Despite the myriad of potential sources, assessing their safety requires a case-by-case approach. This involves a comprehensive analysis of their origin, production processes, compositional makeup, nutritional attributes, prior human exposure, and intended use. Comparing this information with traditional counterparts, where available, is crucial.

Safety assessments focus on toxicological and nutritional evaluations, employing methods distinct from traditional food chemical assessments. Nutritional assessments are critical to avoid dietary imbalances, which are essential for conducting meaningful toxicological studies. These studies include evaluating absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) along with in vitro and in vivo toxicity tests to understand kinetics, genotoxicity, sub-chronic/chronic toxicity, and reproductive and developmental toxicity.

The primary focus is on NF derived from plants, microorganisms, fungi, algae, and animals, with numerous inquiries into their production processes and compositional characteristics. Recurring issues related to specific new food categories are noted.

This Research Topic aims to highlight recent scientific advancements in toxicological evaluations of NF to ensure their safety for human consumption before market introduction. Key areas include:

1. Chemical Composition: Analyzing the food’s chemical makeup, potential contaminants (e.g., heavy metals, pesticides), and by-products from production processes.

2. Toxicological Studies: Conducting in vivo, in vitro, and in silico studies to assess potential toxic effects like immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity, genotoxicity, carcinogenicity, and reproductive and developmental toxicity.

3. Allergenicity Assessment: Testing for potential allergic reactions in sensitive individuals.

4. Digestibility and Bioavailability: Studying how the food is digested and how its nutrients or harmful compounds are absorbed by the body.

5. Toxicokinetic Assessment: Exploring how the body processes NF in terms of ADME, considering dose and time dynamics.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: novel food, food toxicology

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.