Transformation and further development of the Compendium of Botanicals reported to contain naturally occurring substances of possible concern for human health when used in food and food supplements

Abstract

The project was launched in January 2015 with the aim of increasing the usefulness of the Compendium of Botanicals for EU Member State competent authorities and other interested parties. The objective was met by i) transforming the existing Microsoft Excel spreadsheet into a web-searchable database, ii) by expanding the information and number of plants listed in the Compendium of Botanicals, and iii) by extracting toxicity information on substances of possible concern for human health, which were identified as the composition of the plants. The information was arranged in line with the EFSA data model using a series of relational tables, and summary reports were generated to make this information accessible to interested parties on the EFSA website. Data gaps were filled by performing an extensive literature search for 2,697 plant species, looking for information on composition (naturally occurring substances of possible concern for human health), toxicity, and adverse effects. Furthermore, toxicity information was collected for 1,518 naturally occurring substances of possible concern for human health, which were identified as the composition of the plants present in the Compendium of Botanicals. This effort involved the screening of approximately 190,000 articles — 130,000 articles concerning plants and 60,000 concerning substances. This report contains a detailed description of the tools developed and tasks performed within the scope of this project, as well as the results and conclusions.