Toxicology and food safety
About this expertise
In short- Effect of toxins in body
- Response of body to toxins
- Alternatives to animal testing
Wageningen Food Safety Research (WFSR) studies the effects of substances in food that may be potentially toxic. Toxic substances in food are contaminants and natural toxins, including chemicals such as PFAS, pesticides, heavy metals and mycotoxins (fungal toxins). These substances enter food through environmental pollution, agricultural processes and processing or may be naturally present.
About the expertise
At WFSR, we study how toxic substances disrupt crucial processes in the body, and at what quantities this becomes dangerous. Conversely, e also investigate how the body deals with (potentially) toxic substances from food. If the body is effective at breaking down and/or excreting a substance, its harmful effects will be less.
Alternatives animal testing
In line with national and European government policy, we make maximum use of alternatives to using laboratory animals in our research, with a focus on in vitro (in glass) and in silico (in computer) testing.
In vitro and in silico techniques
In in vitro research, cells rather than humans or animals are used. If these are human cells, the results obtained are most representative of humans. The simplest cell systems consist of single cells of one type (e.g. red blood cells), while complex models can contain multiple cell types and form a dense 3D structure. These thus more closely resemble organ tissue, and are called organoids.
In silico research involves models that predict which substances lead to toxicity at what amounts. We can also translate results with in vitro models into expected in vivo effects in whole organisms. Emerging is the use of AI and deep learning models, e.g. to predict which new (or previously unrecognised) substances may pose a risk to food safety. Mixtures of multiple known toxic substances also pose a complex challenge, especially when those substances can reinforce each other's effects.
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If you would like more information about our research into contaminants and natural toxins in food, get in touch with our expert.
dr. A (Arie) van der Bent
DLO Groepshoofd