The Department of Toxicology
develops analytical methods for determination of pesticide residues
and mycotoxins in plants, soil and water; performs monitoring
of contamination of plant production, water and soil with pesticides.
The main activities of the Toxicology department are directed
to risk assessment of pollution on the agricultural production
and the ecosystems due to use of plant protection products. A
new object of investigation is the research on mycotoxin occurrence
on economically
important crops related to the development
of a prevention programme of mycotoxin contamination of agricultural
production. These questions have a crucial importance to guarantee
compliance with the requirements of EU concerning food safety
and security.
The main aspects of risk assessment developed in
this laboratory are:
• Development and validation of fast and sensitive analytical
methods for pesticide residues determination;
• Investigation of physico-chemical behavior of pesticides
in plants and in environment
under different technologies and application conditions.
• Estimation of ecological risk in soils around sources
with extremely high concentration of pesticides, e.g. storehouses
for plant protection products.
• Investigation of the influence of processing and storage
of food on the levels of pesticide residues and risk assessment
on human health;
• A new direction in research activities of the department
is development of analytical methods for determination of mycotoxins
in the economic important crops (including cereals) and screening
of the agricultural production for assessment of risk on mycotoxin
contamination.
The operative activity of the Department, as a part
of NSPP, includes:
• Participation in implementation of National monitoring
programme of pesticide residues in food and raw materials with
plant origin, according to amended National Food Law and latest
amended in 2006 Plant Protection Law.
• Participation in screening of mycotoxin occurrence on
economic important crops in Bulgaria;
• Participation in development of data base for pesticide
residues in food of plant origin.
Current Research Projects
• MINOPER - Minimization of Pesticide Residues in Processed
products and the Environment, funded by programme of NATO “Science
for Piece”.
• PlantProCentre,
funded by FP6 of EU
Scientific staff:
Rositsa Ivanova Mladenova, Ph. D.
Associate Researcher
Head of Toxicology Department rmladenova@gmail.com
Research Interests and Main Activities:
• Development, optimisation and validation of analytical methods for
determination of pesticide residues in plants and fruits;
• Analytical determination of pesticide residues in plant or fruit
extracts using chromatographic methods (GC-ECD, NPD, MS; HPLC- FLD,
DAD);
• Risk assessment of food and feed pollution with organic contaminants
(pesticide residues and mycotoxins).
Anna Angelova Peneva, Ph. D.
Associate Professor annpeneva@abv.bg
Research Interests and Main Activities:
• Efficacy of herbicides in soyabean;
• Weed control of perennial weeds;
• Selectivity and phytotoxicity of herbicides;
• Detoxification and residual amounts of herbicides in soil;
• Side action and afteraction of herbicides;
• Allelopathic interactions between plants ;
• Role of allelopathy for the plant biodiversity in the agroecological
systems.
Research Interests and Main Activities:
• Analytical determination of pesticide residues in plant or fruit
extracts using chromatographic methods (GC-ECD, NPD, MS; HPLC-
FLD, DAD);
• Development, optimisation and validation of analytical methods
for determination of pesticide residues in plants and fruits;
• Risk assessment of food and feed pollution with pesticide residues.
Research Interests and Main Activities:
• Development, optimization and validation of analytical methods
for determination of mycotoxins in cereals;
• Development of analytical methods for the determination
of trichothecenes and zearalenone using HPLC and GC techniques;
• Routine analysis of Fusarium mycotoxins in agricultural
commodities.
Mariyka Asenova Novkova
Senior operator
Activities:
• Maintenance of laboratory technique and equipment
• Collection and preservation of plant samples
• Sample preparation for pesticide residue analysis
Alexandra Gencheva Dimitrova
Senior expert, chemist
Activities:
• Selection and elaboration of methods for determination of heavy metals and other toxic elements in plants and soil, and for determination of enzyme activities and plastid pigments in plants;
• Development of methods for analytical chemistry, plant toxicology, inorganic and biochemical analysis.
