Development of pyrrolizidine alkaloid detection methods for the assessment of food contamination and impact on human and animal health

Información del proyecto

PATOX

Identificador del acuerdo de subvención: 658520

DOI

10.3030/658520

Proyecto finalizado el 18 Enero 2016

Fecha de la firma de la CE 14 Abril 2015

Fecha de inicio 18 Enero 2016

Fecha de finalización 17 Enero 2018

Financiado con arreglo a

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Coste total

€ 183 454,80

Aportación de la UE

€ 183 454,80

Coordinado por

THE QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY OF BELFAST
United Kingdom

Objetivo

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are more than 600 individual compounds that are hazardous for animals and humans if ingested. The 3% of the flowering plants produce these type of molecules and grow as weeds in agricultural production systems throughout the world where they can contaminate commonly consumed foods (eg. grain, milk, meat, eggs, honey, pollen). Chronic exposure to low concentrations of these alkaloids can be the cause of progressive, chronic disease (hepatic damage, vascular obstructive disease, and cancer) that may be difficult to attribute to their presence in food. The 2007 statement from the European Food Safety Authority calls to generate more quantitative data sets on pyrrolizidine alkaloids levels in milk and honey, and to determine which PA plants and/or marker PA need to be considered relevant in animal feed. In the same direction, this Authority pointed in 2011 that toxicological data for pyrrolizidine alkaloids commonly found in honey was needed. Even though some countries have regulated the concentration of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in herbs used in traditional medicines, a general European legislation regulating the concentrations of these alkaloids in food is still pending. The present project propose the use of state of the art technology (UPLC-Qtof-MS, antibody microarrays) to better understand the distribution of pyrrolizidine alkaloids producing plants in relation to food content, and determine the incidence of exposure to these molecules in humans and animals. The results will impact several levels of society, the scientific results will provide science legal advisors with solid data to better inform law makers in the regulation of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in food, society will gain knowledge on the exposure to this type of molecules and on hazardous dietary habits, and food industry will benefit through the introduction of practices to avoid pyrrolizidine alkaloids containing components in food.

Ámbito científico (EuroSciVoc)

• ciencias médicas y de la salud › medicina clínica › medicina complementaria e integrada
• ciencias agrícolas › agricultura, silvicultura y pesca › agricultura › granos y semillas oleoaginosas
• ingeniería y tecnología › otras ingenierías y tecnologías › alimentos y bebidas › seguridad de los alimentos
• ciencias médicas y de la salud › medicina clínica › oncología
• ciencias agrícolas › ciencias animales y lácteas › mascotas › ganadería › piensos para animales

Palabras clave

• Pyrrolizidine alkaloids
• food contamination
• chemical and biochemical detection methods
• metabolomic analysis

Programa(s)

• H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions PROGRAMA PRINCIPAL
  
• H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
  

Tema(s)

• MSCA-IF-2014-EF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF-EF)
  

Régimen de financiación

MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)

Convocatoria de propuestas

H2020-MSCA-IF-2014

Coordinador

THE QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY OF BELFAST

• Aportación neta de la UEn: € 183 454,80
• Dirección: UNIVERSITY ROAD LANYON BUILDING ; BT7 1NN BELFAST ; Reino Unido
• Región: Northern Ireland › Northern Ireland › Belfast
• Tipo de actividad: Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
• Coste total: € 183 454,80