Atropine and Scopolamine in Maize Products from the Retail Stores in the Republic of Serbia

Health concerns associated to tropane alkaloids in maize food products in Serbia

Following the implementation of the European regulation limiting the presence of tropane alkaloids in certain foods, a survey was conducted in Serbia on 103 maize products (grits, polenta and semolina) to determine atropine and scopolamine content using liquid chromatography with tandem-mass spectrometry analysis (LC-MS/MS). The probability of exceeding the Acute Reference Dose (ARfD; 0.016 μg/kg bw/day) of the sum of atropine and scopolamine by consuming these products was tested. Overall, across age categories - children, younger and older adolescents, and adults, the group ARfD was exceeded by 21.4%, 17.5%, 11.7% and 11.7% of the samples, with maximum exposure reaching as much as 19-, 13-, 9- and 9-fold the group ARfD, respectively. Nevertheless, polenta could be the most favorable dietary option (17.9% of positive samples, 7.7% resulting in excessive exposure in children, reaching a maximum of 1.4-fold the group ARfD). According to the reported findings, adverse health effects of tropane alkaloids cannot be ruled out. The Margin of Exposure, founded on a clinically significant acute effects dose established by FAO/WHO, ranged from 1194 to 2381 (mean) and from 28 to 56 (95th percentile) across age categories. These estimates should certainly draw the attention of food authorities and nutritionist, particularly in the case of highly sensitive populations with contraindications and high consumers of corn products, such as coeliac patients.

Evaluation of Tropane Alkaloids in Teas and Herbal Infusions: Effect of Brewing Time and Temperature on Atropine and Scopolamine Content

Atropine and scopolamine belong to the tropane alkaloid (TA) family of natural toxins. They can contaminate teas and herbal teas and appear in infusions. Therefore, this study focused on analyzing atropine and scopolamine in 33 samples of tea and herbal tea infusions purchased in Spain and Portugal to determine the presence of these compounds in infusions brewed at 97 °C for 5 min. A rapid microextraction technique (µSPEed^®) followed by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) was used to analyze the selected TAs. The results showed that 64% of the analyzed samples were contaminated by one or both toxins. White and green teas were generally more contaminated than black and other herbal teas. Of the 21 contaminated samples, 15 had concentrations above the maximum limit for liquid herbal infusions (0.2 ng/mL) set by Commission Regulation (EU) 2021/1408. In addition, the effects of heating conditions (time and temperature) on atropine and scopolamine standards and naturally contaminated samples of white, green, and black teas were evaluated. The results showed that at the concentrations studied (0.2 and 4 ng/mL), there was no degradation in the standard solutions. Brewing with boiling water (decoction) for 5 and 10 min allowed for higher extraction of TAs from dry tea to infusion water.

Emerging Issues on Tropane Alkaloid Contamination of Food in Europe

The occurrence of tropane alkaloids (TAs), toxic plant metabolites, in food in Europe was studied to identify those TAs in food most relevant for human health. Information was extracted from the literature and the 2016 study from the European Food Safety Authority. Calystegines were identified as being inherent TAs in foods common in Europe, such as Solanum tuberosum (potato), S. melongena (eggplant, aubergine), Capsicum annuum (bell pepper) and Brassica oleracea (broccoli, Brussels sprouts). In addition, some low-molecular-weight tropanes and Convolvulaceae-type TAs were found inherent to bell pepper. On the other hand, atropine, scopolamine, convolvine, pseudotropine and tropine were identified as emerging TAs resulting from the presence of associated weeds in food. The most relevant food products in this respect are unprocessed and processed cereal-based foods for infants, young children or adults, dry (herbal) teas and canned or frozen vegetables. Overall, the occurrence data on both inherent as well as on associated TAs in foods are still scarce, highlighting the need for monitoring data. It also indicates the urge for food safety authorities to work with farmers, plant breeders and food business operators to prevent the spreading of invasive weeds and to increase awareness.

Occurrence and Determination of Alternaria Mycotoxins Alternariol, Alternariol Monomethyl Ether, and Tentoxin in Wheat Grains by QuEChERS Method

The Alternaria mycotoxins such as alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), and tentoxin (TEN) are mycotoxins, which can contaminate cereal-based raw materials. Today, wheat is one of the most important crops in temperate zones, and it is in increasing demand in the Western Balkans countries that are urbanizing and industrializing. This research aimed to investigate the occurrence and determine the concentration of Alternaria mycotoxins AOH, AME, and TEN in wheat samples from the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Albania, harvested in the year 2020 in the period between 15 June and 15 July. A total of 80 wheat grain samples, 40 from each country, were analyzed by an QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) method. From the obtained results, it can be seen that the mean concentration of AOH was 3.3 µg/kg and AME was 2.2 µg/kg in wheat samples from Serbia, while TEN from both Serbia and Albania was under the limit of quantification (<LOQ). The maximum of AOH and AME mycotoxins was recorded only in wheat grain samples collected in the Republic of Serbia (5.3 and 2.3 µg/kg). In conclusion, Alternaria mycotoxins have concentrations above the LOQ, which could be potentially considered a health hazard to both humans and animals.