The use of new approach methodologies for the environmental risk assessment of food and feed chemicals.

New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) provide tools for supporting both human and environmental risk assessment (HRA and ERA). This short review provides recent insights regarding the use of NAMs in ERA of food and feed chemicals. We highlight the usefulness of tiered methods supporting weight-of-evidence approaches in relation to problem formulation (i.e., data availability, time, and resource availability). In silico models, including quantitative structure activity relationship models, support filling data gaps when no chemical property or ecotoxicological data are available, and biologically-based models (e.g., toxicokinetic-toxicodynamic models, dynamic energy models, physiologically-based models and species sensitivity distributions) are applicable in more data rich situations, including landscape-based modelling approaches. Particular attention is given to provide practical examples to apply the approaches described in real-world settings. We conclude with future perspectives, with regards to the need for addressing complex challenges such as chemical mixtures and multiple stressors in a wide range of organisms and ecosystems.

Risk Assessment of Combined Exposure to Multiple Chemicals at the European Food Safety Authority: Principles, Guidance Documents, Applications and Future Challenges.

Human health and animal health risk assessment of combined exposure to multiple chemicals use the same steps as single-substance risk assessment, namely problem formulation, exposure assessment, hazard assessment and risk characterisation. The main unique feature of combined RA is the assessment of combined exposure, toxicity and risk. Recently, the Scientific Committee of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published two relevant guidance documents. The first one "Harmonised methodologies for the human health, animal health and ecological risk assessment of combined exposure to multiple chemicals" provides principles and explores methodologies for all steps of risk assessment together with a reporting table. This guidance supports also the default assumption that dose addition is applied for combined toxicity of the chemicals unless evidence for response addition or interactions (antagonism or synergism) is available. The second guidance document provides an account of the scientific criteria to group chemicals in assessment groups using hazard-driven criteria and prioritisation methods, i.e., exposure-driven and risk-based approaches. This manuscript describes such principles, provides a brief description of EFSA's guidance documents, examples of applications in the human health and animal health area and concludes with a discussion on future challenges in this field.

A Next-Generation Risk Assessment Case Study for Coumarin in Cosmetic Products.

Next-Generation Risk Assessment is defined as an exposure-led, hypothesis-driven risk assessment approach that integrates new approach methodologies (NAMs) to assure safety without the use of animal testing. These principles were applied to a hypothetical safety assessment of 0.1% coumarin in face cream and body lotion. For the purpose of evaluating the use of NAMs, existing animal and human data on coumarin were excluded. Internal concentrations (plasma Cmax) were estimated using a physiologically based kinetic model for dermally applied coumarin. Systemic toxicity was assessed using a battery of in vitro NAMs to identify points of departure (PoDs) for a variety of biological effects such as receptor-mediated and immunomodulatory effects (Eurofins SafetyScreen44 and BioMap Diversity 8 Panel, respectively), and general bioactivity (ToxCast data, an in vitro cell stress panel and high-throughput transcriptomics). In addition, in silico alerts for genotoxicity were followed up with the ToxTracker tool. The PoDs from the in vitro assays were plotted against the calculated in vivo exposure to calculate a margin of safety with associated uncertainty. The predicted Cmax values for face cream and body lotion were lower than all PoDs with margin of safety higher than 100. Furthermore, coumarin was not genotoxic, did not bind to any of the 44 receptors tested and did not show any immunomodulatory effects at consumer-relevant exposures. In conclusion, this case study demonstrated the value of integrating exposure science, computational modeling and in vitro bioactivity data, to reach a safety decision without animal data.

The impact on classifications for carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, reproductive and specific target organ toxicity after repeated exposure in the first ten years of the REACH regulation.

The present study primarily aims at informing regulators and policy makers in Europe and examines the evolution of self-classifications and study availability for the endpoints of carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, reproductive toxicity (CMR) and specific target organ toxicity after repeated exposure (STOT RE) for the first ten years of the REACH legislation. Our knowledge on chemical safety keeps increasing due to the registration obligations under REACH, in combination with proactive actions by registrants and regulatory actions by Authorities, which jointly lead to new testing and critical reassessment of existing studies. The improvements become evident by the constant increase in the number of substances that are self-classified by the registrants for human health endpoints. Moreover, there is a slow but steady increase in the number of substances for which there is at least one experimental study available for the human health endpoints in scope of this analysis. However, the increase is slow given the generally limited data availability at the beginning of REACH. Manual examination of about 350 classified substances reveals that the impact of newly generated data and regulatory action by Authorities is greater for reproductive toxicity than for carcinogenicity or mutagenicity, reflecting the strengthening of the information requirements for reproductive toxicity with the introduction of REACH. The results of the study should inform regulators and policy makers at EU and national level in the discussion on potential changes to information requirements or testing strategies under REACH.

A Simple and Specific Noncompetitive ELISA Method for HT-2 Toxin Detection.

We developed an HT-2 toxin-specific simple ELISA format with a positive read-out. The assay is based on an anti-immune complex (IC) scFv antibody fragment, which is genetically fused with alkaline phosphatase (AP). The anti-IC antibody specifically recognizes the IC between a primary anti-HT-2 toxin Fab fragment and an HT-2 toxin molecule. In the IC ELISA format, the sample is added together with the scFv-AP antibody to the ELISA plate coated with the primary antibody. After 15 min of incubation and a washing step, the ELISA response is read. A competitive ELISA including only the primary antibody recognizes both HT-2 and T-2 toxins. The anti-IC antibody makes the assay specific for HT-2 toxin, and the IC ELISA is over 10 times more sensitive compared to the competitive assay. Three different naturally contaminated matrices: wheat, barley and oats, were used to evaluate the assay performance with real samples. The corresponding limits of detection were 0.3 ng/mL (13 µg/kg), 0.1 ng/mL (4 µg/kg) and 0.3 ng/mL (16 µg/kg), respectively. The IC ELISA can be used for screening HT-2 toxin specifically and in relevant concentration ranges from all three tested grain matrices.

The lager yeast Saccharomyces pastorianus removes and transforms Fusarium trichothecene mycotoxins during fermentation of brewer's wort.

An investigation was conducted to determine the fate of deoxynivalenol, deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside, HT-2 toxin and T-2 toxin, during a four-day fermentation with the lager yeast Saccharomyces pastorianus. The influence of excessive mycotoxin concentrations on yeast growth, productivity and viability were also assessed. Mycotoxins were dosed at varying concentrations to 11.5° Plato wort. Analysis of yeast revealed that presence of the toxins even at concentrations up to 10,000 µg/L had little or no effect on sugar utilisation, alcohol production, pH, yeast growth or cell viability. Of the dosed toxin amounts 9-34% were removed by the end of fermentation, due to physical binding and/or biotransformation by yeast. Deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside was not reverted to its toxic precursor during fermentation. Processing of full-scan liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) data with MetaboLynx and subsequent LC-QTOF-MS/MS measurements resulted in annotation of several putative metabolites. De(acetylation), glucosylation and sulfonation were the main metabolic pathways activated.

Tracing the metabolism of HT-2 toxin and T-2 toxin in barley by isotope-assisted untargeted screening and quantitative LC-HRMS analysis.

An extensive study of the metabolism of the type A trichothecene mycotoxins HT-2 toxin and T-2 toxin in barley using liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) is reported. A recently developed untargeted approach based on stable isotopic labelling, LC-Orbitrap-MS analysis with fast polarity switching and data processing by MetExtract software was combined with targeted LC-Q-TOF-MS(/MS) analysis for metabolite structure elucidation and quantification. In total, 9 HT-2 toxin and 13 T-2 toxin metabolites plus tentative isomers were detected, which were successfully annotated by calculation of elemental formulas and further LC-HRMS/MS measurements as well as partly identified with authentic standards. As a result, glucosylated forms of the toxins, malonylglucosides, and acetyl and feruloyl conjugates were elucidated. Additionally, time courses of metabolite formation and mass balances were established. For absolute quantification of those compounds for which standards were available, the method was validated by determining apparent recovery, signal suppression, or enhancement and extraction recovery. Most importantly, T-2 toxin was rapidly metabolised to HT-2 toxin and for both parent toxins HT-2 toxin-3-O-ß-glucoside was identified (confirmed by authentic standard) as the main metabolite, which reached its maximum already 1 day after toxin treatment. Graphical Abstract Isotope-assisted untargeted screening of HT-2 toxin and T-2 toxin metabolites in barley.

Metabolism of the Fusarium Mycotoxins T-2 Toxin and HT-2 Toxin in Wheat.

To investigate the metabolic fate of HT-2 toxin (HT2) and T-2 toxin (T2) in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), an untargeted metabolomics study utilizing stable isotopic labeling and liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry was performed. In total, 11 HT2 and 12 T2 derived in planta biotransformation products were annotated putatively. In addition to previously reported mono- and diglucosylated forms of HT2, evidence for the formation of HT2-malonyl-glucoside and feruloyl-T2, as well as acetylation and deacetylation products in wheat was obtained for the first time. To monitor the kinetics of metabolite formation, a time course experiment was conducted involving the Fusarium head blight susceptible variety Remus and the resistant cultivar CM-82036. Biotransformation reactions were observed already at the earliest tested time point (6 h after treatment), and formed metabolites showed different kinetic profiles. After ripening, less than 15% of the toxins added to the plants were determined to be unmetabolized.

Simultaneous determination of major type A and B trichothecenes, zearalenone and certain modified metabolites in Finnish cereal grains with a novel liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric method.

A reliable and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric method was developed for the simultaneous quantitative determination in cereals of the Fusarium mycotoxins HT-2 toxin, T-2 toxin, deoxynivalenol, nivalenol and zearalenone, as well as the modified metabolites 3-acetyl-deoxynivalenol, α-zearalenol, ß-zearalenol, deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside, HT-2-3-glucoside, nivalenol-3-glucoside, zearalenone-14-glucoside, zearalenone-14-sulphate, zearalenone-16-glucoside, α-zearalenol-14-glucoside and ß-zearalenol-14-glucoside. The 'dilute and shoot' approach was used for sample preparation after extraction with acetonitrile:water:acetic acid (79:20:1, v/v/v). Separation was carried out using reversed-phase liquid chromatography, and detection was performed using tandem mass spectrometry in the selected reaction monitoring mode. The method was in-house validated according to performance characteristics, established in Commission Regulation EC No 401/2006 and Commission Decision EC No 657/2002, prior to its application in a nationwide survey for the analysis of barley, oat and wheat samples (n = 95) harvested in Finland during 2013. Deoxynivalenol and its glucosylated form were the most abundant of the analytes, being detected in 93 and 81 % of the samples, respectively. Concentrations of deoxynivalenol were unusually high in 2013, especially in oats, with some cases exceeding the maximum legislative limits for unprocessed oats placed on the market for first-stage processing. All modified mycotoxins analysed were detected, and the natural occurrence of some of these compounds (e.g. zearalenone-16-glucoside and nivalenol-3-glucoside) in barley, oats and/or wheat was documented for the first time.

Repeated dose 28-day oral toxicity study of moniliformin in rats.

Moniliformin is a Fusarium mycotoxin mainly produced by several species infecting grains in different climatic conditions. According to our previous studies, it is acutely toxic to rats, with an LD50 cut-off value of 25mg/kg b.w. To further assess the possible health risks of low dose exposure to moniliformin, a subacute oral toxicity study was conducted in Sprague-Dawley rats, adapting OECD guideline 407. Five dose groups and two satellite groups, each consisting of five male rats, were daily exposed to moniliformin by gavage. Two rats in the highest dose group, showed decreased activity followed by acute heart failure and death. The rats of the lower doses (<9mg/kg b.w.) showed no signs of toxicity. The daily intake of moniliformin strongly reduced the phagocytic activity of neutrophils in all dose groups. The decrease continued in the satellite group during the follow-up period, indicating a severe impact on the immune system and a LOAEL value of 3mg/kg b.w. for moniliformin. Moniliformin was rapidly excreted into urine, ranging between 20.2 and 31.5% daily and showed no signs of accumulation. The concentration of moniliformin in faeces was less than 2%, which suggests efficient absorption from the gastrointestinal tract.

Determination of deoxynivalenol and deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside in wheat and barley using liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry: on-line clean-up versus conventional sample preparation techniques.

In this study, we compared the performance of conventional sample preparation techniques used in mycotoxin analyses against automated on-line sample clean-up for the determination of deoxynivalenol (DON) and its conjugated derivative, deoxynivalenol-3-ß-d-glucoside (D3G), in cereal grains. Blank wheat and barley samples were spiked with DON and D3G, extracted with a mixture of acetonitrile:water (84:16, v/v) and processed by one of the following: extract and shoot, MycoSep(®) 227 clean-up columns, MycoSep 227 with an additional acetonitrile elution step and centrifugal filtration, followed by analysis with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Based on method performance characteristics and poor recoveries (<30%) obtained for the polar D3G with some techniques, the extract and shoot approach was chosen for the inter-laboratory method comparison study. Thus, the same spiked samples were analysed in parallel by another laboratory with an in-house validated on-line sample clean-up method, utilising TurboFlow™ chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry. Method validation was performed by determination of specificity, linearity, recovery, intra-day precision and the limits of detection and quantification. Matrix-matched linearity (R(2)>0.985) was established in the range of 100-1600 and 20-320µg/kg for DON and D3G, respectively. Average recoveries (%RSD) were acceptable with both methods for wheat and barley, ranging between 73% and 102% (3-12%) for DON and 72% and 98% (1-10%) for D3G. The benefit of using automated sample clean-up in comparison to extract and shoot is the ability to inject directly pure extracts into the mass spectrometer, offering faster analyses and improved sensitivity with minimum system maintenance.

Application of OECD Guideline 423 in assessing the acute oral toxicity of moniliformin.

Moniliformin is a Fusarium mycotoxin highly prevalent in grains and grain-based products worldwide. In this study, the acute oral toxicity of moniliformin was assessed in Sprague-Dawley male rats according to OECD Guideline 423 with a single-dose exposure. Clinical observations and histopathological changes were recorded together with the excretion of moniliformin via urine and feces, utilizing a novel liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method. According to our study, moniliformin is acutely toxic to rats with a rather narrow range of toxicity. Moniliformin can be classified into category 2 (LD(50) cut-off value 25 mg/kg b.w.), according to the Globally Harmonized System for the classification of chemicals. The clinical observations included muscular weakness, respiratory distress and heart muscle damage. Pathological findings confirmed that heart is the main target tissue of acute moniliformin toxicity. A significant proportion (about 38%) of the administered moniliformin was rapidly excreted in urine in less than 6 h. However, the toxicokinetics of the majority of the administered dose still requires clarification, as the total excretion was only close to 42%. Considering the worldwide occurrence of moniliformin together with its high acute toxicity, research into the subchronic toxicity is of vital importance to identify the possible risk in human/animal health.