In vitro genotoxicity assessment of MTES, GPTES and TEOS, three precursors intended for use in food contact coatings

•Toxicity study of organoalkoxysilanes used in food contact coatings is proposed.•The genotoxicity was assessed with the Ames test and in vitro micronucleus assay.•No mutagenic effect was detected for TEOS and MTES.•A significant positive response was observed with GPTES in the TA100 and TA1535. Organoalkoxysilanes are precursors that are used increasingly in the synthesis of food contact coatings. To comply with the EU regulation, their potential toxicity must be assessed, and very little information is known. The genotoxicity of three common precursors was studied, namely, tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS), methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) and 3-glycidyloxypropyltriethoxysilane (GPTES). By the Ames test, MTES and TEOS were not mutagenic for bacteria. A significant positive response was observed with GPTES in the TA100 and TA1535 strains. The mutagenic effect was more pronounced in the presence of the exogenous metabolic activation system with an increase of the induction factor (ten-fold higher for the TA1535 strain). In the micronucleus assay performed with a human hepatoma cell line (HepG2 cells), GPTES gave negative results even in the presence of an exogenous activation system. To ascertain the possibility of using this precursor in food contact material, its migration must be monitored according to the coating formulation because migration might result in hazardous human exposure.