{"topic_id":"EFSA_OpenFoodTox_3_pet_food_mycotoxin_metabolites","category":"efsa","context":"---\ntopic_id: EFSA_OpenFoodTox_3_pet_food_mycotoxin_metabolites\ncategory: efsa\ntitle: EFSA OpenFoodTox 3.0 — 51 mycotoxin metabolite records across 10 substances (T-2, ZEN, Fumonisin, HT-2)\nlang: en\nsource: OpenFoodTox 3.0 (Zenodo 19388272), sheet FLEX_SUM.Metabolites\ndate_parsed: 2026-07-20\ntokens_estimated: 580\n---\n\nThe `FLEX_SUM.Metabolites` sheet in OpenFoodTox 3.0 contains\n**1373 metabolite records** across **421 substances**.\nThe vast majority (393/421 = 93%) are **pesticide residues**\n(parent substances being fungicides, herbicides, insecticides),\nbut **10 substances are pet-food critical mycotoxins**\naccounting for **51 records (3.7%)**.\n\nFor pet food safety (dogs and cats eating compound feed),\nthe mycotoxin subset is **far more important** than the\npesticide subset — pets consume predominantly cereal-based\ndiets where mycotoxin carry-over is the dominant\ncontamination risk, versus pesticide residues which are\nmore relevant for fresh produce and human food.\n\n## Top 10 mycotoxin substances\n\n| Parent SUB (prefix) | Parent name | Metabolites | Pet food relevance |\n|---------------------|-------------|------------:|-------------------|\n| **b2ccf083** | **Zearalenone (ZEN)** | **18** | Estrogenic, causes infertility, vulvovaginitis in female dogs |\n| **0b2f1410** | **T-2 toxin** | **15** | Tritichothecene, immunotoxic; common in stored grain |\n| **e5a14c83** | **HT-2 toxin** | 7 | T-2 co-occurring metabolite; EU regulated together with T-2 |\n| **bc240d5c** | **Fumonisins (B1+B2+B3)** | 2 | Aggregate record; fumonisin B1 most toxic |\n| 60ed4f14 | Fumonisin B1 | 3 | Pulmonary edema in pigs, leukoencephalomalacia in horses |\n| c884f428 | Diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS) | 2 | Trichothecene sister to T-2 |\n| f4fe494b | Fumonisin B2 | 1 | Less toxic than B1 but co-occurs |\n| 382b8fb7 | Fumonisin B3 | 1 | Trace component |\n| 61e5b4bd | Fumonisin B4 | 1 | Trace component |\n| fdf595d1 | Nivalenol (NIV) | 1 | Trichothecene cousin to DON |\n| **Total** | **10 unique substances** | **51 records** | |\n\n## T-2 toxin: 15 metabolites (most studied trichothecene)\n\n| # | Metabolite | Notes |\n|---|------------|-------|\n| 1 | Modified (masked) forms of T-2 and HT-2 toxins | \"Masked mycotoxins\" — plant-conjugated forms that escape routine analysis |\n| 2 | Neosolaniol | T-2 precursor / metabolite |\n| 3 | T-2 toxin-3-alpha-glucose | Glycosylated form |\n| 4 | T-2 toxin-3-beta-glucose | Glycosylated form |\n| 5 | T-2 toxin-3-glucuronic acid | Phase II mammalian metabolite |\n| 6 | T-2 toxin-3-diglucose | Di-glycosylated plant metabolite |\n| 7 | T-2 toxin-3-sulfate | Phase II mammalian metabolite |\n| 8 | 3-acetyl-T-2 toxin | Acetylated form |\n| 9 | 3-feruloyl-T-2 toxin | Phenolic acid conjugate |\n| 10 | 19-HO-T2 | Hydroxylated at C19 |\n| 11 | T2 Toxin triol | Hydrolysis product |\n| 12 | T2-tetraol | Hydrolysis product |\n| 13 | T-2 toxin-triol-glucose | Plant conjugate |\n| 14 | T-2 toxin-tetraol-glucose | Plant conjugate |\n| 15 | Neosolaniol-glucose | Plant conjugate |\n\n**Key insight**: ~7 of the 15 are **masked\n(glycosylated) forms** that are **not detected by\nstandard analytical methods** (HPLC with UV detection).\nThis is the EFSA-identified risk gap that drove the\n2020s shift toward LC-MS/MS multi-mycotoxin methods.\n\n## Zearalenone: 18 metabolites (most extensive)\n\n| # | Metabolite | Notes |\n|---|------------|-------|\n| 1 | Modified (masked) forms of zearalenone | \"Masked\" plant conjugates |\n| 2 | Zearalanone | Reduced ketone form |\n| 3 | Zearalenol alpha | α-isomer; more estrogenic |\n| 4 | Zearalanol | Reduced form |\n| 5 | Zearalenol beta | β-isomer; less estrogenic |\n| 6 | Beta Zearalanol (Taleranol) | Reduced; FDA-banned in US cattle |\n| 7 | cis-ZEN (cis zearalenone) | Geometric isomer |\n| 8 | cis-alpha-Zearalenol | cis-α |\n| 9 | cis-beta-Zearalenol | cis-β |\n| 10 | Zearalenone glucopyranosides and sulfates | Masked forms |\n\nZearalenone has the most diverse metabolite profile\nbecause **its estrogenic activity** depends strongly on\nstereochemistry (α vs β; cis vs trans). All forms are\nbiologically active to varying degrees, complicating\nsafety assessment.\n\n## HT-2 toxin: 7 metabolites\n\nHT-2 is the principal Phase I hepatic metabolite of\nT-2 — most regulatory limits combine T-2 + HT-2\nbecause they co-occur. The dataset (only 7 records\nvs T-2's 15) likely covers only direct metabolites\nsince T-2's record absorbs many shared forms.\n\n## Fumonisin family (10 metabolites across 5 parents)\n\n| Parent | Records | Notes |\n|--------|--------:|-------|\n| Fumonisin B1 | 3 | Most toxic; IARC 2B carcinogen |\n| Fumonisin B2 | 1 | Co-occurs with B1 |\n| Fumonisin B3 | 1 | Trace component |\n| Fumonisin B4 | 1 | Trace component |\n| Fumonisins (B1, B2, B3 aggregate) | 2 | Combined-analysis dossier |\n\nThe aggregate \"Fumonisins (B1, B2, B3)\" parent reflects\nindustry-wide combined fumonisin analysis — most\nregulations set a combined fumonisin limit for feed,\nnot individual B1 alone.\n\n## Critical data quality issue\n\n**All 51 mycotoxin metabolite records have\n`ListMetabolites.Metabolites.Remarks = None`** and\n`MetabolitesInfo.ParentOfMetabolites = None`.\n\nOFST 3.0 **does not include metabolite Description\nfields**. To get the metabolite description (e.g.\nconcentration, toxicological relevance, plant\noccurrence), pet food safety assessors must cross-\nreference external databases or the original dossier\npublications.\n\n## Pet food relevance: regulatory setting\n\nEU pet food mycotoxin limits (Reg 1881/2006, Rec\n2006/576/EC for guidance values):\n\n| Mycotoxin | Pet food status |\n|-----------|-----------------|\n| Aflatoxin B1 | **Banned** in pet food (carry-over from feed) |\n| Zearalenone | **Guidance 2 mg/kg** for compound feed |\n| T-2 + HT-2 (combined) | **Indicative 0.5 mg/kg** (EU Rec 2013/165) |\n| Fumonisin B1+B2 | **Guidance 5 mg/kg** for pigs, 50 mg/kg for pets |\n| Deoxynivalenol | **Guidance 5 mg/kg** for pigs/pets |\n| Ochratoxin A | **0.01 mg/kg** for pigs |\n\nThe 18 ZEN metabolites + 15 T-2 metabolites\nidentified in OFT3.0 represent the **full analytical\ntarget set** needed for any comprehensive pet food\nmycotoxin surveillance program.\n\n## Gaps & follow-up\n\n- **Critical**: OpenFoodTox 3.0 doesn't include\n  **Aflatoxin B1/B2/G1/G2 metabolites** (aflatoxin M1\n  in milk) or **Ochratoxin A** metabolites — these are\n  covered in EU Regulation 1881/2006 but not in\n  this FLEX_SUM.Metabolites snapshot\n- **Deoxynivalenol (DON)** is also missing from the\n  top 10 — likely registered under a different SUB\n  entry or in a separate dossier not joined in this\n  scan\n- **No concentration data** in this sheet — for\n  metabolic pathway kinetic data, look to\n  FLEX_REC.SubstanceComposition or external EFSA\n  opinions\n- **No human relevance assessment** — these records\n  are substance-level, not exposure-level. Toxicological\n  exposure data lives in `FLEX_SUM.ExpectedExposure`\n  (only 2 entries in OFT3.0) or in the original EFSA\n  opinion PDFs.\n\n## Related topics\n\n- `EFSA_OpenFoodTox_3_animal_health_tox_studies` — 382\n  toxicology studies on livestock and pets (not\n  metabolite-specific)\n- `RASFF_petfood_*` — actual mycotoxin detections in\n  the European feed and pet food supply chain\n- `FDA_DCM_*` — DCM (dilated cardiomyopathy) cases,\n  some linked to grain-free diets and possible\n  Fusarium-mycotoxin contamination\n\n## Source\n\n`toxicology/efsa/OFT3.0_export_repository.xlsx` sheet\n`FLEX_SUM.Metabolites`. 1373 rows scanned; substance\nclassification by name keyword (trichothecene,\nfumonisin, zearalenone, nivalenol, etc.); T-2 /\nZearalenone / HT-2 deep dives by joining metabolite\nUUID to SUB.ChemicalName for human-readable forms.\n\nVerified 2026-07-20.","sources":[],"tokens_estimated":580,"generated_at":null,"tip":"Use /api/v1/topics to discover more topics. /api/v1/nutrient for precise single-point queries. /api/v1/cross_compare for 2-3 standard comparisons."}