Abstract
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are products of secondary metabolism in plants. They have been detected in honey, as well as in herbal
and green tea. However, these molecules are toxic and carcinogenic, and hence, their presence in commercial products should be
regulated. In this study, a quantitative analytical method for the detection of 19 pyrrolizidine alkaloid compounds in bottled tea and
tea leaves was developed. The samples were prepared via the QuEChERS method and the analysis was performed with a tandem
of high performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. Monitoring tests were conducted on commercially available
bottled tea and tea leaves. The results showed that in Japanese commercial bottled tea, all pyrrolizidine alkaloids were below the
detection limit. Tea leaves experiments, in contrast, revealed that some types of tea (rooibos and chamomile) contain pyrrolizidine
alkaloids.
