Introduction: Given the risk of side effects of flavoring substances used in the food industry, their cytotoxic effect on mouse fibroblast cell cultures and the risk of malignant degeneration, in this paper we observed eventual changes to hematological parameters of rats under the influence of flavorings: (±) – limonene p-methyl-1,8-diene (orange flavoring substance), (±) -3,7-dimethyl-6-octenal (lemon flavoring substance), ethyl format (rum flavoring substance) and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde (vanilla flavoring substance).
Materials and methods: The changes were followed in red blood cell counts, red cell indices, hemoglobin in erythrocytes, leukocytes, differential blood count, platelet count and platelet indices. For measurements we used white Wistar rats, weighing 240±10g. The flavoring substances were administered in doses of 25 mg/kg orally for 7 days compared to a control group treated with saline solution at a dose of 10 mg/kg orally. Blood was collected after 7 days of treatment in tubes with EDTA-Na 1 mg/2 ml blood and measurements were made with an automated hematology analyzer.
Results: After 7 days of treatment we found the orange and lemon flavoring substances determined a significant decrease in the number of erythrocytes, hematocrit and hemoglobin values, mean corpuscular volume, mean erythrocyte hemoglobin, mean erythrocyte hemoglobin concentration, but the number of leukocytes and platelet count did not change significantly. The vanilla and rum flavoring produced no statistically significant changes in hematological parameters.
Conclusions: The orange and lemon flavoring substances studied after statistical processing of experimental data by Student t-tests and ANOVA has modified significant the hematological parameters (number of erythrocytes, hemoglobin and hematocrit value).