The production of films and coatings from onion (Allium cepa L.) to be applied as packaging is attractive, due to its high nutritional and therapeutic value. Also, it can collaborate to minimize environmental impacts caused by the improper disposal of products made from plastics. However, despite it being an innovative and novel proposal, onion films for the development of edible packaging should be evaluated before being considered nontoxic and safe for human consumption. Thus, the objective of the present study was to elucidate the cytotoxic and mutagenic profile of eluates of polymer films of Allium cepa L. obtained by the casting process and to verify their safety for commercial purposes. The analysis of cellular viability demonstrated greater cytotoxicity for unwashed hydrothermally treated pulp (HTP) than for films of washed hydrothermally treated pulp (W-HTP). Regarding the mutagenic activity, the HTP and W-HTP films were not able to statistically increase the frequencies of the biomarkers for chromosome damage (micronucleus test) at the tested concentrations. However, the HTP films showed signs of mutagenicity in the Ames test (gene mutations), suggesting caution in their use. The detection of genotoxicity is highly recommended in order to avoid the risk of genotoxic exposure to mutagens and carcinogens. In conclusion, the absence of mutagenicity and cytotoxicity observed in this study is extremely relevant, because it provides support for toxicogenic properties of the Allium cepa films with promising applicability in the food industry. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The bioplastics made from onion bulbs are multifunctional materials, which requires safety profile assessment. The results of the mutagenicity and cytotoxicity tests suggests that especially the W-HTP films are harmless, supporting at the first level of evidence, its safety potential to be used in the food industry (food films), biodegradable packaging, and biomaterials (substrates for drug delivery system).

中文翻译：

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用于食品包装相关应用的洋葱球茎 (Allium cepa L.) 纯果泥可食用薄膜的基因毒理学安全评估

由于洋葱 (Allium cepa L.) 的高营养和治疗价值，用洋葱 (Allium cepa L.) 生产薄膜和涂层以用作包装具有吸引力。此外，它还可以协作以尽量减少因塑料制品处理不当而造成的环境影响。然而，尽管它是一项创新和新颖的提议，但用于开发可食用包装的洋葱薄膜在被认为是无毒和安全供人类食用之前应进行评估。因此，本研究的目的是阐明通过浇铸工艺获得的洋葱聚合物薄膜洗脱液的细胞毒性和致突变特性，并验证其商业用途的安全性。细胞活力的分析表明，未洗涤的水热处理纸浆 (HTP) 的细胞毒性比洗涤水热处理纸浆 (W-HTP) 的薄膜更大。关于诱变活性，HTP 和 W-HTP 薄膜在测试浓度下无法统计增加染色体损伤（微核测试）生物标志物的频率。然而，HTP 薄膜在 Ames 测试（基因突变）中显示出致突变性的迹象，表明使用它们时要谨慎。强烈建议检测遗传毒性，以避免暴露于诱变剂和致癌物的遗传毒性风险。总之，在本研究中观察到的没有致突变性和细胞毒性是非常相关的，因为它为洋葱薄膜的毒性特性提供了支持，在食品工业中具有广阔的应用前景。实际应用：由洋葱球茎制成的生物塑料是多功能材料，需要进行安全性评估。致突变性和细胞毒性测试的结果表明，特别是 W-HTP 薄膜是无害的，在第一级证据中支持其用于食品工业（食品薄膜）、可生物降解包装和生物材料（用于给药系统）。