Glossary

This multilingual glossary provides easy-to-understand definitions for the main scientific terms used on this website in the risk assessment domain. Terms and their definitions are referenced in our communication products as pop-up notes to explain concepts to the public with no specialist knowledge.
Standard English spelling is used throughout. Acronyms are capitalised. Terms are presented in lower case. Entries are translated into all 24 EU official languages.
The glossary is a living document subject to regular updates. Relevant missing terms may be suggested by using the Ask A Question online form.

Disclaimer: Definitions in the glossary are intended solely to help this website's users understand scientific terminology. Definitions may differ from those given in European Union legislation and in the EFSA Journal.

Type here:

B

bee brood

A collective name for the offspring of bees from a single hatch.

benchmark dose

The minimum dose of a substance that produces a clear, low level health risk, usually in the range of a 1-10% change in a specific toxic effect such as cancer induction.

bioassay

A standard way of measuring how a substance (e.g. a vitamin, hormone or fertiliser) has affected an organism or a tissue within that organism.

bioavailability

A term to describe how much of a substance gets into the blood through a variety of routes, including the diet. It may refer to vitamins, additives, pesticides or medicines.

biocide

A preparation of one or more active substances (see definition) designed to use chemicals or other means to kill or halt the actions of harmful organisms such as plant diseases or animal infections.

biodiversity

A term used to describe the variety of living organisms existing in a specific environment.

bioinformatics

An umbrella term for biological studies that use computer programming as part of their methodology. Bioinformatics combines computer science, statistics, mathematics and engineering to study and process biological data. See also Transcriptomics, Proteomics and Metabolomics.

biological groups are excluded from QPS assessment

Filamentous fungi, bacteriophages, Streptomycetes, Oomycetes, Enterococcus faecium, Escherichia coli, Clostridium butyricum

biological relevance

An event or occurrence is defined as having biological relevance if its size or implications are likely to have consequences for human health.

biomarker

A characteristic that is objectively measured and can be viewed as an indicator of a normal biological process, a disease process, or a typical response to a drug or therapy; for example, blood pressure.

BMD

The benchmark dose (BMD) is the minimum dose of a substance that produces a clear, low level health risk, usually in the range of a 1-10% change in a specific toxic effect such as cancer induction.

BMI

The body mass index (BMI) is a measurement that expresses the relationship between an individual’s weight and height. BMI is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by height in metres squared (i.e. height x height). Used to assess whether someone’s weight is appropriate.

body mass index

A measurement that expresses the relationship between an individual’s weight and height. BMI is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by height in metres squared (i.e. height x height). Used to assess whether someone’s weight is appropriate.

body of knowledge

The body of knowledge is mainly evaluated by searching in peer-reviewed articles of the available scientific knowledge indicating a certain degree of exposure of humans and animals through food and feed use. It includes the history of use of a TU in the agri-food system (occurrence in the food and feed chain) or in other sectors (e.g. biotechnological or medical applications). Certain aspects of the ecology of the microorganism are also taken into account: distribution of the TU in natural environments (e.g. as part of the human microbiota, of wild and farmed animals and in plant ecosystems) and their colonisation ability and routes for dispersal.