Metadata Analysis of Mycotoxin Occurrence in UK Cereal Grains in the Past Decade

This project is funded by Defra. Defra has a strategic commitment to increasing uptake of Integrated Pest Management in order to minimise risk and harm from pesticide use. Increased investment in research to inform the development of lower risk control strategies is helping to deliver that commitment. Understanding the impact of co-occurring mycotoxins will help inform future management strategies.

Background

AHDB has been funding the Monitoring of Cereal Contaminants Projects for the past 10 years. The activity has accumulated high quality data on the various field and storage mycotoxins, including their masked/modified forms in identifiable samples of wheat, barley, oats and their co-products. This includes geographic location information (county or postcode) and varietal identities. Unlike most mycotoxin monitoring data, these analyses cover multiple mycotoxins in the same samples, providing a rare opportunity for co-occurrence to be investigated. There is an opportunity to further exploit this potentially valuable resource to enhance the management of mycotoxins in grains in the supply chain. There is a need to take a deeper analysis of annual variations in some of the mycotoxin contaminants. The data from the project would be supplemented with industry-collected data, such as collated by UK Flour Millers and AIC. This call requires the successful applicant(s) to undertake an analysis of the mycotoxin metadata to a) review and develop potential improvements to the AHDB Fusarium Mycotoxin Risk Assessment for milling wheat, and b) provide a greater insight into the presence and impact of co-occurring mycotoxins, including their masked and modified forms in wheat, barley, oats and their co-products in order to inform future decisions on setting their legal limits.

Aim and Core requirements of the work

AHDB wishes to commission a study comprising two independent work packages that will enable the better exploitation of the available data resources in order to determine possible improvements to the Fusarium Mycotoxin Risk Assessment, based on evidence, and to determine the extent to which the cereal grain and co-product samples contain multiple mycotoxins, including in their various forms, and potential health safety implications.

Research partnership approach

Joint proposals from two or more contractors are acceptable and encouraged where there is added value. AHDB may, if it is deemed desirable, request applicants to form a consortium to work together. There should be one organisation designated as the lead organisation for the Partnership that is responsible for project management and delivery. The group size should be manageable. Prospective partnerships can comprise both research institutes and industrial partners, be multi-disciplinary, and draw on a range of research experience for a number of crops. Therefore, the group does not necessarily need to have a history of working together previously. Priority will be given to the applicants with joint proposals demonstrating added value and with in-kind and or cash funding from the industry.

Project duration and budget

AHDB has set aside a maximum total budget of £25,000 over 4 months.

Work package 1 - Review and Propose Improvements to the AHDB Risk Assessment for Fusarium Mycotoxins in Wheat.

Work package 2 - Determine the Co-occurrence of Mycotoxins in Grains, Including Masked and Modified Forms

Proposals for this call should provide detailed costs for the period 21 November 2022 – 17 March 2023.

Completion and submission of the application form

All applicants should complete an application form for projects under £50,000 using the AHDB Research and KE Application Form - Full Proposal Small referring to the guidance notes to aid completion. 

Applications are made on the basis of the AHDB research funding agreement and any organisation receiving funding shall comply with the terms and conditions specified in the Contract. AHDB will not be held responsible for any expenses or losses incurred by applicants in the preparation of an application(s).

Completed application forms should be submitted to research@ahdb.org.uk no later than 09:00 on 19 September 2022.

Proposed timings for application and overall project delivery

Project management

Project meetings – Arrangements should be made for the project kick-off meeting, an interim review meeting and a final, end of project meeting. This can be done remotely, preferably via MS Teams.

Risk assessment - The contractor must supply a risk assessment to cover all elements of the work and that is compliant with industry regulations.

Reporting requirements

A final project report and summary report at project completion. Templates for these reports can be found here:

AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds report templates and guidelines

Assessment of Proposals

All submitted proposals will be reviewed by AHDB using the scoring methodology at the end of the proposal form. The selection will be an open and fair competition according to AHDB’s procurement policy, which complies with EU state aid rules.

Communications

Following any significant (commercially relevant) advance in the understanding of mycotoxins, AHDB will explore opportunities to promote results via the following channels:

• Publication of the final project report and summary in the AHDB research library
• Recommendations for update of the three mycotoxin risk assessment formats, available at: org.uk/mycotoxins (print publication, web publication and Excel-based tool) following industry stakeholder consultation if required
• Revisions to AHDB knowledge library guidance on the management of in-field and storage mycotoxins if required
• Release of main findings via online and in-print articles and Twitter
• Summary of results in the AHDB Agronomy Focus email
• Results presented at a flagship AHDB event, such as the Agronomists’ Conference – with any video captured posted to YouTube

Questions and Answers

If you have specific questions relating to this call, please email research@ahdb.org.uk. All questions and answers will be published. As part of the open tender process, AHDB cannot discuss specific programme details prior to proposal submission. 

Work package 1

Review and Propose Improvements to the AHDB Risk Assessment for Fusarium Mycotoxins in Wheat.

There are legal limits for fusarium mycotoxins deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZON) in wheat intended for human consumption and guidance limits for feed grain. The owner (farmer, merchant or processor) is legally obliged to ensure grain is safe for human consumption. The main crop assurance schemes designed to help farmers comply with food laws include an audit of the risk assessment and the AHDB Risk Assessment score is required on the grain passport. This was introduced in 2006 and now requires review by taking into consideration current environmental factors. There is also a requirement for refining UK regional risk factors through cluster analysis of data obtained for DON and ZON levels linked to their geographic locations. This work will draw on the significant body of industry monitoring data, in addition to the Contaminant Monitoring Project data. This information should be linked to suitable available historic weather data to improve the modelling of the risk predictions.

Timing and milestones

MS 1    Initial project meeting by 17^th November 2022

MS 2    Interim project update meeting by 31^st January 2023

MS 3    Final project meeting by 10^th March 2023

MS 4    Final Reports submitted by 17^th March 2023

Work package 2

Determine the Co-occurrence of Mycotoxins in Grains, Including Masked and Modified Forms

The EU has expressed concern regarding the co-occurrence of multiple mycotoxins in food and feed.  Interaction effects (i.e., additive, synergistic, or antagonistic) have been associated with the co-exposure to multi-mycotoxins of different groups. Additionally, EU mycotoxin maximum limits are set on the basis of the 95^th percentile of occurrence data, which aims to remove the 5% of the crop with the highest levels of a mycotoxin from the food chain. The degree of mycotoxin co-occurrence is important here, as it will inform to what extent limits set on this basis will divert grain from the food market to animal feed and other destinations. This is poorly understood but has significant food security implications.

This work package requires the successful applicant to perform an in-depth analysis of the data to determine the extent to which the cereal grain and co-product samples contain not only the various classes of mycotoxins such trichothecenes but also their various modified (including masked forms). The findings should also consider any implications for health safety concerns. Such information would be invaluable for informing future decisions for setting and adjusting maximum limits on major mycotoxins.

Timing and milestones

MS 1    Initial project meeting by 17^th November 2022

MS 2    Interim project update meeting by 31^st January 2023

MS 3    Final project meeting by 10^th March 2023

MS 4    Final Reports submitted by 17^th March 2023