Brominated vegetable oil
Encyclopedia
Brominated vegetable oil (BVO) is vegetable oil that has had atoms of the element
bromine
bonded to it. Brominated vegetable oil is used as an emulsifier in citrus
-flavored soft drinks to help natural fat-soluble citrus flavors stay suspended in the drink and to produce a cloudy appearance. BVO has been used by the soft drink industry since 1931.
The addition of bromine increases the density
of the oil, and the amount of bromine is carefully controlled to achieve a density that is the same as the water
in the drink. As a result, the BVO remains suspended in the water instead of forming separate layers.
s diagnosed as bromoderma
. The excessive quantities together with the fact that the man had a higher than normal sensitivity to bromine made this an unusual case. A similar case reported that a man who consumed two to four liters of a cola containing BVO on a daily basis experienced memory loss, tremors, fatigue, loss of muscle coordination, headache, ptosis
of the right eyelid as well as elevated serum chloride
. In the two months it took to correctly diagnose the problem, the patient also lost the ability to walk. Eventually bromism
was diagnosed and hemodialysis
was prescribed which resulted in a reversal of the disorder.
imposes the following restrictions on the use of BVO as a food additive
in the United States
:
BVO is one of four substances that the Food and Drug Administration
has defined as interim food additives; the other three are acrylonitrile
copolymers, mannitol
, and saccharin
.
Standards for soft drink
s in India
prohibit the use of BVO. Usage of BVO has been banned in India since 1988.
European Union - BVO is not on the Current EU approved additives list
Chemical element
A chemical element is a pure chemical substance consisting of one type of atom distinguished by its atomic number, which is the number of protons in its nucleus. Familiar examples of elements include carbon, oxygen, aluminum, iron, copper, gold, mercury, and lead.As of November 2011, 118 elements...
bromine
Bromine
Bromine ") is a chemical element with the symbol Br, an atomic number of 35, and an atomic mass of 79.904. It is in the halogen element group. The element was isolated independently by two chemists, Carl Jacob Löwig and Antoine Jerome Balard, in 1825–1826...
bonded to it. Brominated vegetable oil is used as an emulsifier in citrus
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
-flavored soft drinks to help natural fat-soluble citrus flavors stay suspended in the drink and to produce a cloudy appearance. BVO has been used by the soft drink industry since 1931.
The addition of bromine increases the density
Density
The mass density or density of a material is defined as its mass per unit volume. The symbol most often used for density is ρ . In some cases , density is also defined as its weight per unit volume; although, this quantity is more properly called specific weight...
of the oil, and the amount of bromine is carefully controlled to achieve a density that is the same as the water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
in the drink. As a result, the BVO remains suspended in the water instead of forming separate layers.
Health effects
In one case, a man who drank eight liters of Ruby-Red Squirt daily had a reaction that caused his skin color to turn red and produced lesionLesion
A lesion is any abnormality in the tissue of an organism , usually caused by disease or trauma. Lesion is derived from the Latin word laesio which means injury.- Types :...
s diagnosed as bromoderma
Bromoderma
Bromoderma, also known as bromoderma tuberosum, is a dermatological condition characterized by an eruption of papules and pustules on the skin. It is caused by hypersensitivity to bromides, such as those found in certain drugs. There is at least one reported case of bromoderma caused by excessive...
. The excessive quantities together with the fact that the man had a higher than normal sensitivity to bromine made this an unusual case. A similar case reported that a man who consumed two to four liters of a cola containing BVO on a daily basis experienced memory loss, tremors, fatigue, loss of muscle coordination, headache, ptosis
Ptosis (eyelid)
Ptosis is a drooping of the upper or lower eyelid. The drooping may be worse after being awake longer, when the individual's muscles are tired. This condition is sometimes called "lazy eye", but that term normally refers to amblyopia...
of the right eyelid as well as elevated serum chloride
Serum chloride
Chloride is a chemical the human body needs for metabolism . It also helps keep the body's acid-base balance. The amount of serum chloride is carefully controlled by the kidneys....
. In the two months it took to correctly diagnose the problem, the patient also lost the ability to walk. Eventually bromism
Bromism
Bromism is the syndrome which results from the long-term use of the potassium bromide based sedatives. Bromism was once a very common disorder being responsible for 5-10% of psychiatric hospital admissions. It is now an uncommon disorder due to bromide being withdrawn from clinical use in many...
was diagnosed and hemodialysis
Hemodialysis
In medicine, hemodialysis is a method for removing waste products such as creatinine and urea, as well as free water from the blood when the kidneys are in renal failure. Hemodialysis is one of three renal replacement therapies .Hemodialysis can be an outpatient or inpatient therapy...
was prescribed which resulted in a reversal of the disorder.
Restrictions
The U.S. Code of Federal RegulationsCode of Federal Regulations
The Code of Federal Regulations is the codification of the general and permanent rules and regulations published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government of the United States.The CFR is published by the Office of the Federal Register, an agency...
imposes the following restrictions on the use of BVO as a food additive
Food additive
Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavor or enhance its taste and appearance.Some additives have been used for centuries; for example, preserving food by pickling , salting, as with bacon, preserving sweets or using sulfur dioxide as in some wines...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
:
BVO is one of four substances that the Food and Drug Administration
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
has defined as interim food additives; the other three are acrylonitrile
Acrylonitrile
Acrylonitrile is the chemical compound with the formula C3H3N. This pungent-smelling colorless liquid often appears yellow due to impurities. It is an important monomer for the manufacture of useful plastics. In terms of its molecular structure, it consists of a vinyl group linked to a nitrile...
copolymers, mannitol
Mannitol
Mannitol is a white, crystalline organic compound with the formula . This polyol is used as an osmotic diuretic agent and a weak renal vasodilator...
, and saccharin
Saccharin
Saccharin is an artificial sweetener. The basic substance, benzoic sulfilimine, has effectively no food energy and is much sweeter than sucrose, but has a bitter or metallic aftertaste, especially at high concentrations...
.
Standards for soft drink
Soft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
s in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
prohibit the use of BVO. Usage of BVO has been banned in India since 1988.
European Union - BVO is not on the Current EU approved additives list