In a national and international context encouraging Research in the field of food safety, and due to a greater awareness both from consumers and the authorities, the LABERCA's activities are focused on the study of the chemical risks. In this respect, two main categories of compounds can be identified, ie. on the one hand residues and on the other hand contaminants. Residues include substances of natural origin (among which gonadic steroid hormones, proteic hormones of somatotropin-type) and xenobiotic substances (among which anabolic steroids, corticosteroids, beta-agonists and thyrostats). Environmental contaminants comprise dioxins, PCBs, PBBs, PBDEs, PAH or phytosanitary products. In these two groups, certain substances are suspected to have a disrupting activity on the endocrine system, which has been attracting the scientific community's attention for several years now, considering the direct consequences on consumers. Since 2003, the LABERCA has been giving more and more importance to this notion of endocrine disruption. The analysis of these molecules, most of the time present at trace level within complex biological matrices requires the use of ever more sensitive and specific identification techniques. Mass spectrometry under all its forms is therefore the laboratory's preference analytical tool when it comes to research projects in this general context. Research activities as a whole are being run according to our quality management system, which is certified to ISO9001:2000 standard.

Several key actions will be carried out over this period; the main expected results being the acquisition of a better knowledge of:

• the profile of environmental contaminants in farm animals feed;
• the transfer of these environmental and feed contaminants to farm animals and the consequence in terms of food contamination;
• populations exposure at critical stages of their development (foetus, new-born, pre-pubertal children) to endocrine-type contaminants (flame retardants, steroids, phytoestrogens);
• the consequence of certain industrial processes on food contamination (PAH, PFOA, PFOS);
• phase I/II metabolites of known (or yet unknown) families of growth promoters; their binding (integuments) and elimination (biological fluids) kinetics.

The laboratory's research and development mid-term objectives are presented in the following figure. They are different from the previous period objectives and take into account our current and future thematic evolutions. We have determined 9 key actions which are presented in a deliberately synthetic manner.

• Action 1

  Context: contamination of farm animal feed through environmental contaminants
  Molecules concerned: PCDD/F, PCB (dl + i), POPs of the Stockholm Convention, PFOS, PFOA, PAH, brominated flame retardants, phytoestrogens and phytosanitary products
  Products: herb, ensilage
  Expected results: better knowledge of the feed contamination level allowing a subsequent study of the transfer

• Action 2 et 5

  Context: study of the contaminants transfer from feed to farm animals and from animals to foodstuffs
  Molecules concerned: PCDD/F, PCB (dl+i), POPs of the Stockholm Convention, PFOS, PFOA, brominated flame retardants, phytoestrogens and phytosanitary products
  Products: seafood products, eggs and egg products, milk and dairy produce, meat, offals and honey
  Expected results: better knowledge of the contaminants metabolites in food of animal origin and of the food contamination level to allow a better evaluation of the associated risk

• Action 3

  Context: direct contact (non food related) of the farm animal with environmental contaminants
  Molecules concerned: PCDD/F, PCB (dl+i), POPs of the Stockholm Convention, brominated flame retardants and PAH
  Products: seafood products
  Expected results: better knowledge of the seafood products contamination level by persistent organic pollutants to allow a better evaluation of the associated risk

• Action 4

  Context: illegal use of growth promoters in cattle
  Molecules concerned: steroids, corticosteroids, ecdysteroids, ß-agonists, thyrostats, GH and secretagogues
  Products: muscles, offals, biological fluids, integuments
  Expected results: better knowledge of phase I and II metabolites, of the analyte-matrix couple and elimination/fixation cinetics, and better appropriateness and efficiency of the analytical methods used for the determination of an illegal use

• Action 6

  Context: man exposure to contaminants via his food intake
  Molecules concerned: PCDD/F, PCB (dl+i), POPs of the Stockholm Convention, PAH, PFOS, PFOA, brominated flame retardants and natural hormones
  Products: muscles, offals, milk and dairy produce, eggs and egg products and seafood products
  Expected results: epidemiologic data for the contamination of food (drinking water and DAOA) by targeted contaminants, impregnation of man to POPs (adipose tissue, biological fluids)

• Action 7

  Context: targeted populations exposure (newborn, pre-pubertal children) to endocrine disrupters
  Molecules concerned: brominated flame retardants, phytoestrogens and steroids
  Products: milk and dairy produce, eggs and egg products, fish and seafood products, baby-food
  Expected results: data regarding the exposure of the newborn and the pre-pubertal child to endocrine disrupters

• Action 8

  Context: transfer of contaminants (including the endocrine system disrupting molecules) from mother to foetus
  Molecules concerned: brominated flame retardants, PFOS/PFOA, phytoestrogens
  Products: meconium, umbilical cord, breast milk, placenta
  Expected results: better knowledge of the foetus exposure to endocrine disrupters

• Action 9

  Context: industrial processes and their consequence on the food contamination level
  Molecules concerned: PAH, PFOS, PFOA
  Products: fish, meat, offals, biscuits, dairy produce
  Expected results: better knowledge of the consequence of industrial processes on food quality as regards PAH and PFOS/PFOA

Among our projects:
ISOSTER (5th PCRD)
BIOCOP (6th PCRD)
ADIPOTOX (ANR, PNRA)
CRIPTAGO (VALORIAL)
AISQAL (Region of Pays de la Loire)