Fish and seafood - improved trace detection of life-threatening allergy sources

"AQUALLERG-ID": Researchers develop methods for detecting potential food allergens

01-Nov-2023 - It is estimated that 1 to 2.5 percent of the adult population suffers from an allergy to fish and seafood, which is one of the most common triggers of life-threatening reactions (13 to 29 percent). These individuals are also more likely to allergic reactions when consuming insects. This is due to ...

Wild garlic: confusion often leads to poisoning

The consumption of toxic doubles can have serious consequences

06-Apr-2023 - Wild garlic belongs to the allium family and is one of the best known native wild herbs. Harvested fresh in spring, many people use the plant in the kitchen for versatile dishes, such as soups, sauces and salads. "Although the garlic-like odor is a typical characteristic of bear's leek, the plant ...

Raw food: health risks are often underestimated

22-Feb-2023 - A glass of raw milk for breakfast, a roll with raw ham at lunchtime and a homemade smoothie with frozen berries in the afternoon - raw or unheated foods are regularly on the menu of the population. This is the result of a recent representative survey by the German Federal Institute for Risk ...

How do cells react to micro- and nanoplastics?

Plastic particles could also bind potentially harmful substances to themselves and introduce them into the cell as a "Trojan horse"

13-Jul-2022 - The smaller plastic particles are, the more easily they can be taken up by cells. In addition, the shape, surface and chemical properties play an important role in answering the question of how the particles could affect human tissue. This is the result of a study by researchers at the German ...

Coronaviruses on Glass

Commercial detergents and manual glass washers effectively remove viruses from glass

05-May-2022 - Whether at home, in the canteen or restaurant - the question remains as to whether the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 can also be transmitted via dishes or drinking glasses. In general, infections with coronavirus are transmitted directly from person to person via droplets and aerosols. Although ...

More efficient risk assessment for nanomaterials

Researchers analyse biological mechanisms of action and identify biomarkers

17-Dec-2019 - Nanotechnology is booming, but risk assessment for these tiny particles is a laborious process that presents significant challenges to the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR). To find more efficient test methods, researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) ...

Allergy risk: Metal particles from tattoo needles detected in the skin for the first time

Particles containing nickel and chromium also enter the lymph nodes

29-Aug-2019 - Micro and nanoparticles of metal from tattoo needles can be deposited in the skin and in lymph nodes. This is the result of researchers from the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), together with an international team of partners. Tattoo needles are made of steel, so they also ...

Common diarrhoea pathogen unknown to many people

15-May-2019 - Salmonella, genetically modified foods and microplastics in food head the awareness scale of health and consumer topics in Germany. Despite this, more than three quarters of Germans regard food as safe. This is the result of the latest Consumer Monitor - a representative population survey carried ...

Do chemicals make you fat?

The EU research project EDCMET is investigating the effect of endocrine disruptors on metabolism

28-Jan-2019 - January 2019 saw the launch of the EU research project EDCMET, in which scientists from the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) are also involved. EDCMET stands for "Metabolic effects of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals: novel testing METhods and adverse outcome path-ways" and is ...

Science learns from its mistakes too

A mathematical model shows that even seemingly inconclusive studies speed up the gain in knowledge

14-Sep-2018 - Scientific studies should always be published irrespective of their result. That is one of the conclusions of a research project conducted by the “German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals” at the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), the results of which have now been ...