Fate and Behavior of Field-Applied Pesticides during Malting and Mashing Processes

The present work aimed to study the fate of field-applied pesticides during malting and mashing processes. Twenty-four field-collected barley samples were subject to micromalting followed by lab-scale mashing to investigate the carryover of residual pesticides from barley to malt and then from malt to sweet wort. The citrate-buffered QuEChERS sample preparation method was adapted for simultaneous determination of 57 pesticide residues in grain, malt, spent grains, and sweet wort samples using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectroscopy (UPLC-MS/MS). Residues of four fungicides (fenpropimorph, pyraclostrobin, tebuconazole, and trifloxystrobin) and two insecticides (chlorpyrifos and pirimiphos-methyl), frequently found in the barley samples, were investigated in detail in this study. The carryover percentages of these pesticides to malt, against the concentration of residues in barley grain, ranged from 22% for pirimiphos-methyl up to 78% for fenpropimorph. The results confirm a general rule that residues of pesticides with log P values >2 remain on the malt, but it was found that their transfer potential is more related to its individual physical-chemical properties but does not much correlate to their log P values. In the second part of the study, a noticeable carryover from malt to sweet wort was observed for pyraclostrobin, fenpropimorph, and tebuconazole residues, and these values ranged from 2 to 15%. Moreover, the analysis of pesticide residues in spent grain after mashing revealed that the spent grain samples contain on average once as much pyraclostrobin and tebuconazole residues as the original malt. It was concluded that (1) pyraclostrobin and tebuconazole residues could be incorporated into or associated with macromolecules in barley grain to form "hidden" (bound) forms, and (2) the parent compounds are subsequently released from their hidden forms during mashing.

[Morphofunctional vascular changes associated with sudden death in the young]

Diagnosis of sudden death in the young is based on the results of a set of research methods. Immunohistochemical, histochemical and histochemical methods are fundamental to the diagnosis of hidden forms of connective tissue pathology. These methods allow the sequence of initial and irreversible changes in connective tissue structures to be determined. The aim of this study was to determine the abnormalities of the vascular wall structure when using immunohistochemical and histological methods for the verification of congenital anomalies of various types of vessels, which expand the criteria for the diagnostic detection of individuals with connective tissue dysplasia. These investigation methods allow the diagnosis of hidden forms of congenital connective tissue pathology in the young. The main morphological signs of pathology of the aorta, carotid arteries, coronary and cerebral arteries are the disturbance of structural elements of the connective tissue.

Risks for animal health related to the presence of fumonisins, their modified forms and hidden forms in feed

Fumonisins, mycotoxins primarily produced by Fusarium verticillioides and Fusarium proliferatum, occur predominantly in cereal grains, especially in maize. The European Commission asked EFSA for a scientific opinion on the risk to animal health related to fumonisins and their modified and hidden forms in feed. Fumonisin B1 (FB 1), FB 2 and FB 3 are the most common forms of fumonisins in feedstuffs and thus were included in the assessment. FB 1, FB 2 and FB 3 have the same mode of action and were considered as having similar toxicological profile and potencies. For fumonisins, the EFSA Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM) identified no-observed-adverse-effect levels (NOAELs) for cattle, pig, poultry (chicken, ducks and turkeys), horse, and lowest-observed-adverse-effect levels (LOAELs) for fish (extrapolated from carp) and rabbits. No reference points could be identified for sheep, goats, dogs, cats and mink. The dietary exposure was estimated on 18,140 feed samples on FB 1-3 representing most of the feed commodities with potential presence of fumonisins. Samples were collected between 2003 and 2016 from 19 different European countries, but most of them from four Member States. To take into account the possible occurrence of hidden forms, an additional factor of 1.6, derived from the literature, was applied to the occurrence data. Modified forms of fumonisins, for which no data were identified concerning both the occurrence and the toxicity, were not included in the assessment. Based on mean exposure estimates, the risk of adverse health effects of feeds containing FB 1-3 was considered very low for ruminants, low for poultry, horse, rabbits, fish and of potential concern for pigs. The same conclusions apply to the sum of FB 1-3 and their hidden forms, except for pigs for which the risk of adverse health effect was considered of concern.