Residue analysis of gibberellic acid isomer (iso-GA3) in brewing process and its toxicity evaluation in mice

Gibberellic acid (GA3) is an efficient plant growth regulator, which could speed up barley germination in the brewing industry. However, the residue of GA3 in malt gets denatured into an isomer, termed iso-GA3. In this study, the concentration of iso-GA3 and the conversion rate of GA3 to iso-GA3 during the brewing process was studied by high performance liquid chromatography and the potential toxicity of iso-GA3 was evaluated in ICR mice. The concentration of iso-GA3 increased in the saccharification and wort boiling processes while its concentration was stable during fermentation. The maximum conversion rates of GA3 to iso-GA3 in Canadian malt, Australian malt SCO and Australian malt FAQ were 88%, 87% and 87%, respectively. In the acute oral toxicity study, the median lethal dose (LD₅₀) of iso-GA3 was 2.82 g/kg body weight (BW). In the 28-day repeated dose toxicity study, the iso-GA3 could cause weight loss in mice. And the mice of high-dose group showed a slight decrease in food consumption. Moreover, inflammation and cell necrosis were found in kidney and liver tissue, which were alleviated during the recovery phase. These results establish a practical reference for food safety in products, in which GA3 is added as a food additive.