Monomethylsilanetriol added for nutritional purposes to food supplements

Following a request from the European Commission, the Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food has been asked to deliver a scientific opinion based on its consideration of the safety and bioavailability of monomethylsilanetriol (also called organic silicon) added for nutritional purposes to food supplements. The present opinion deals only with the safety of monomethylsilanetriol as a source of silicon and with the bioavailability of silicon from this source. The safety of silicon itself, in terms of amounts that may be consumed, as well as the consideration of silicon as a nutrient are outside the remit of this Panel. The essentiality of silicon for man has not been established and a functional role for silicon in humans has not yet been identified. No recommended intake for silicon has been set. The Panel notes that the use of monomethylsilanetriol is proposed to provide maximum 15 mg silicon/day (equivalent to 0.84 mg monomethylsilanetriol/kg bw/day and 0.25 mg silicon/kg bw/day for a 60 kg adult). However, no adequate data on the bioavailability of silicon from monomethylsilanetriol have been provided and no data on the toxicity of monomethylsilanetriol are available. The Panel also notes that there is presently no experimental evidence demonstrating the conversion of monomethylsilanetriol to orthosilicic acid. Given the absence of adequate data on the bioavailability of silicon from monomethylsilanetriol and the toxicity of monomethylsilanetriol, the Panel could not assess the safety of the source and the bioavailability of silicon from this source.