Evaluation of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in Korean commercial honeys and bee pollens

Abstract

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) in 200 honeys and 63 bee pollens distributed in South Korea were investigated to evaluate their concentration and safety by simultaneous LC-MS/MS analysis. The risk of PAs' intake was also evaluated. The average PA concentration in honey and bee pollen was lower in products produced in South Korea (honey, 4.2 µg/kg; bee pollen, 306.4 µg/kg) than in ones produced outside South Korea (honey, 24.3 µg/kg; bee pollen, 327.5 µg/kg). PA concentration in bee pollen was about 30 times higher than in honey. It was thought that bee pollen had a significant effect on PA concentration in honey, as honey and bee pollen showed similar PA detection tendencies. The daily exposure to PAs from honey intake was 0.0003 µg/kg body weight (b.w.) per day for all ages, and the safe margin of exposure (MOE) calculated based on BMDL₁₀ 237 µg/kg b.w./day was 722 759, which was a safe level (MOE 10 000 or more).