Brominated vegetable oil (BVO) è un composto chimico ottenuto dalla reazione di bromo liquido con oli vegetali insaturi.

Il nome definisce la struttura della molecola

• "Brominated"  indica che l'olio vegetale è stato trattato con bromo, un elemento chimico che può essere utilizzato per legare e stabilizzare composti.
• "Vegetable Oil" si riferisce agli oli estratti dalle piante. Gli oli vegetali sono composti principalmente da trigliceridi e sono utilizzati in una varietà di prodotti, dalla cucina ai cosmetici.

Descrizione delle materie prime utilizzate nella produzione

• Olio vegetale - Spesso derivato da soia o mais.
• Bromo - Elemento chimico utilizzato per bromurare l'olio vegetale.

Processo di sintesi chimica industriale passo per passo

• Preparazione dell'olio vegetale - L'olio vegetale viene pretrattato per rimuovere impurità e preparato per la bromurazione.
• Bromurazione - L'olio vegetale viene esposto al bromo in condizioni controllate, dove le molecole di bromo si legano chimicamente con gli acidi grassi dell'olio vegetale.
• Purificazione - Dopo la bromurazione, l'olio viene purificato per rimuovere eccessi di bromo e altre impurità.
• Asciugatura - L'olio bromurato viene asciugato per rimuovere eventuali tracce di solventi o umidità.

Si presenta in forma di liquido trasparente o giallastro.

A cosa serve e dove si usa

Alimentazione

Brominated vegetable oil è utilizzato come emulsionante in bevande per mantenere gli ingredienti dispersi uniformemente.

Agente emulsionante. Le emulsioni sono termodinamicamente instabili. Gli emulsionanti hanno la proprietà di ridurre  la tensione interfacciale olio/acqua o acqua/olio, migliorare la stabilità dell'emulsione e anche di influenzare direttamente stabilità, proprietà sensoriali e la tensione superficiale dei filtri solari, modulando le loro prestazioni filmometriche. 

Stabilizzante. Aiuta a mantenere stabile l'aspetto torbido o nebuloso di alcune bevande.

• CAS    8016-94-2
• EC number   232-416-5
• FEMA    2168

Sicurezza

Brominated vegetable oil benché approvato dalla FDA (Food and Drug Administration degli Stati Uniti) come additivo alimentare, è stato oggetto di molti studi che ne hanno stabilito una certa pericolosità dal punto di vista salutare. E' ritenuto un ingrediente con potenziale tossicità sulla tiroide e con potenziale aumento dei livelli tissutali di bromo inorganico e organico (1) e con effetti indesiderati su effetti comportamentali e riproduttivi (2) e sul metabolismo dei lipidi cardiaci (3) in animali da laboratorio .

Bibliografia_____________________________________________________________________

(1) Woodling KA, Chitranshi P, Jacob CC, Loukotková L, Von Tungeln LS, Olson GR, Patton RE, Francke S, Mog SR, Felton RP, Beland FA, Zang Y, Gamboa da Costa G. Toxicological evaluation of brominated vegetable oil in Sprague Dawley rats. Food Chem Toxicol. 2022 Jul;165:113137. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2022.113137. Epub 2022 May 16. PMID: 35588981.

Abstract. Brominated vegetable oil (BVO) has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration on an interim basis as a food additive. Past studies have raised concerns about potential toxicities from consuming BVO. To investigate further these toxicities, we conducted a 90-day dietary exposure study in Sprague Dawley rats and analyzed tissue distribution of the main metabolites. Six-week-old male and female rats were fed diets containing 0 (control), 0.002%, 0.02%, 0.1%, or 0.5% BVO by weight. Statistically significant increases were observed in the serum bromide in the high-dose group of both sexes and in the incidence of thyroid follicular cell hypertrophy in the two highest dose groups of males and the high-dose group of females. An increase in serum TSH was observed in the high-dose group for both sexes, as well as a decrease in serum T4 in the high-dose males. A clear dose-response was observed in di- and tetra-bromostearic acid levels in the heart, liver, and inguinal fat. These data expand upon previous observations in rats and pigs that oral exposure to BVO is associated with increased tissue levels of inorganic and organic bromine, and that the thyroid is a potential target organ of toxicity.

(2) Vorhees CV, Butcher RE, Wootten V, Brunner RL. Behavioral and reproductive effects of chronic developmental exposure to brominated vegetable oil in rats. Teratology. 1983 Dec;28(3):309-18. doi: 10.1002/tera.1420280302. 

Abstract. Adult Sprague-Dawley rats were fed diets containing 0, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, or 2.0% of the food additive brominated vegetable (soybean) oil (BVO) for 2 weeks prior to mating. After conception, the diets were continued throughout gestation and lactation for the females. The same diets were also provided to the dams' offspring throughout their development (up to 90-120 days of age). BVO at 2.0% of the diet completely blocked reproduction. BVO at 1.0% of the diet severely impaired conception, reduced maternal body weight, and produced slightly reduced litter sizes but no evidence of malformations. At this dose postnatal mortality was high, and survivors showed impaired growth and severe behavioral impairments on a battery of standardized tests of functional development. After weaning, adequate data could not be obtained because of the high mortality rate in this group. BVO at 0.5% of the diet produced less reproductive interference and much less offspring mortality or impairment of growth, but produced behavioral impairments almost as severe as seen in the BVO 1.0% group. In addition, this group exhibited severely reduced postweaning activity, delayed vaginal patency development, and reduced day-90 weight. BVO at 0.25% of the diet produced reproductive deficits similar to the BVO 0.5% group, but less severe effects on growth and behavioral development. This group showed no significant increase in offspring mortality. The data demonstrate clear evidence of dose-related physical and behavioral developmental toxicity.

(3) Lombardo YB, Chicco A, Basílico MZ, Bernal C, Gutman R. Effect of brominated vegetable oils on heart lipid metabolism. Lipids. 1985 Jul;20(7):425-32. doi: 10.1007/BF02534233.

Abstract. Normal rats fed for 105 days on an experimental diet made up of standard laboratory chow supplemented with 0.5% of a mixture of brominated sunflower-olive oil (BVO) developed a significant increase in the triacylglycerol content of the heart, liver and soleus muscle compared to controls. In addition, BVO-treated rats had a decrease in plasma levels of triacylglycerol and total and HDL cholesterol. Plasma fatty acid levels and plasma post-heparin lipolytic activities, such as H-TGL, LPL, T-TGL and MGH were similar to those of control animals fed the standard chow alone. Heart PDHa (active portion of pyruvate dehydrogenase) was dramatically decreased in the BVO-fed rats. A faster rate of spontaneous lipolysis was recorded in the isolated perfused preparation of hearts from the experimental animals. The addition of 10(-7) M of glucagon to the perfusate, however, revealed a lipolytic effect comparable to the one observed in the control rats. In summary, our findings of normal fatty acids and low triacylglycerol plasma levels associated with normal activities of the various PHLA (post-heparin lipolytic activity) enzymes suggest that accumulation of triacylglycerol in heart muscle may not be explained essentially in terms of an elevated uptake and/or increased delivery of plasma fatty acids or plasma triacylglycerol. A decreased in situ catabolism of tissue triacylglycerol also appears unlikely because the spontaneous as well as the glucagon induced lipolysis in the heart both were found to be unimpaired...