Pyrrolizidine alkaloids: their occurrence in Spanish honey collected from purple viper's bugloss (Echium spp.)

Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess. 2013;30(10):1799-806. doi: 10.1080/19440049.2013.817686. Epub 2013 Jul 26.

Abstract

The incidence and concentration of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) from Echium spp. plant have been defined in 103 Spanish honey samples. Each sample was examined to determine total pollen content, the percentage of Echium spp. pollen, and simultaneous measurements of PAs and their N-oxides concentrations by the HPLC-ESI/MS method to identify the potential origin of PAs in honey. PAs were found in 94.2% of the raw honey samples analysed, in the range of 1-237 µg kg(-1) (average concentration = 48 µg kg(-1)). The PA pattern was clearly dominated by echimidine, lycopsamine and their N-oxides, representing the 97.8% of total ∑PAs, and only echimidine and echimidine-N-oxide surpassed the 87% of total ∑PA content. Others PAs, seneciphylline and heliotrine-N-oxide, appear to be reported in a lower incidence and concentration (average of 3 and 1 µg kg(-1), respectively). The Pearson Chi-squared test (p ≤ 0.01) confirms the non-correspondence between pollen plants and PA content. This study was also realised to generate a dataset in order to evaluate the potential risk of Spanish honeys containing PA plants belonging to the genera Echium.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
  • Echium / adverse effects
  • Echium / chemistry*
  • Food Contamination / analysis*
  • Honey / adverse effects
  • Honey / analysis*
  • Humans
  • Molecular Structure
  • Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids / adverse effects
  • Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids / analysis*
  • Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids / chemistry
  • Risk Assessment
  • Solid Phase Extraction
  • Spain
  • Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization

Substances

  • Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids