Earticle

Suggestions for improving the safety management level of domestic cosmetics are as follows. First, it is necessary to establish the procedures for reviewing restricted raw materials such as Ingredients forbidden to be formulated, based on scientific grounds. Second, as implemented in Europe, for Safety Assessment of the products that are managed and distributed in accordance with the current follow-up management system, before going on sale, the “product information file” containing product information should be submitted to the regulatory bodies or reported on the Internet. Third, consumers should be able to check the marked or stated effects or mechanism is true or not. Fourth, the screening criteria for “convergence cosmetics” should be established as soon as possible so that companies can develop and market products in response to the latest science and technologies, while creating an environment where consumers can use cosmetics with confidence. Fifth, labeling of allergenic ingredients should be mandatory and standards for cosmetics for children (including “baby”) should be established and supplemented to a level comparable to overseas systems. Currently, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is discussing plans with experts from various fields to solve this problem. To establish a more complete cosmetic safety management system, new cosmetic screening criteria on the procedures for designating restricted raw materials should be prepared and discussed with many experts in the future, based on the results of research on the systems of each country.

Mackerel (Scomber japonicus) often causes severe allergic reactions in sensitive people. Food containing undeclared mackerel may pose a risk to such people. The major allergenic protein in fish such as mackerel, codfish, and Alaska pollack has been found to be parvalbumin. In this study, we developed a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method to detect mackerel DNA using primers corresponding to the parvalbumin gene. We cloned and sequenced 1.5 kb of parvalbumin gene by PCR using mackerel genomic DNA as a template. Nucleotide sequence analysis of genomic parvalbumin gene, composed of 4 exons and 3 introns, allowed the selection of two pairs of oligonucleotide primers specific for mackerel. These primers successfully enabled PCR amplification of specific regions of genomic parvalbumin DNA from mackerel, but no amplification from 8 other fish samples, surimi, and 6 boiled fish pastes. The sensitivity of this method was sufficient to detect 5 ng of purified mackerel DNA mixed with 50 ng of surimi DNA. This rapid and specific method for the detection of allergenic mackerel would be beneficial in reducing food allergy caused by the ingestion of hidden allergen in processed food.