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Peter T, Carter JF, Bennett E, Anuj SR. The isotopic compositions of hexamine solid fuel tablets used to manufacture hexamethylene triperoxide diamine (HMTD) explosive. Forensic Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.forc.2022.100446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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Hungerford NL, Fletcher MT, Tsai HH, Hnatko D, Swann LJ, Kelly CL, Anuj SR, Tinggi U, Webber DC, Were ST, Tan BLL. Occurrence of environmental contaminants (pesticides, herbicides, PAHs) in Australian/Queensland Apis mellifera honey. Food Addit Contam Part B Surveill 2021; 14:193-205. [PMID: 34096475 DOI: 10.1080/19393210.2021.1914743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Honey is a popular agricultural product containing mostly sugars and water, but due to its nutritious components and natural production by honeybees (Apis mellifera) from floral nectar, it is marketed as a premium health food item. As environmental monitors, honeybees can potentially transfer environmental contaminants to honey. Whilst pesticides can have ubiquitous presence in agricultural and urban areas, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) can be more prevalent in higher density urban/industrial environments. Australian beehives are customarily located in rural areas/forests, but it is increasingly popular to keep hives in urban areas. This study assessed the levels of environmental contaminants in honeys (n = 212) from Queensland/Australian sources including rural, peri-urban and urban areas. Honey samples were analysed by LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS for 53 herbicides, 83 pesticides, 18 breakdown products (for certain pesticides/herbicides) and 33 PAHs and showed low/negligible pesticide, herbicide and PAHs contamination, consistent regardless of honey origins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natasha L Hungerford
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), The University of Queensland, Health and Food Sciences Precinct, Coopers Plains, Australia
| | - Mary T Fletcher
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), The University of Queensland, Health and Food Sciences Precinct, Coopers Plains, Australia
| | - Heng Hang Tsai
- Forensic and Scientific Services, Queensland Health, Coopers Plains, Australia
| | - Darina Hnatko
- Forensic and Scientific Services, Queensland Health, Coopers Plains, Australia
| | - Lorinda J Swann
- Forensic and Scientific Services, Queensland Health, Coopers Plains, Australia
| | - Cassandra L Kelly
- Forensic and Scientific Services, Queensland Health, Coopers Plains, Australia
| | - Shalona R Anuj
- Forensic and Scientific Services, Queensland Health, Coopers Plains, Australia
| | - Ujang Tinggi
- Forensic and Scientific Services, Queensland Health, Coopers Plains, Australia
| | - Dennis C Webber
- Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Health and Food Sciences Precinct, Coopers Plains, Australia
| | - Stephen T Were
- Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Health and Food Sciences Precinct, Coopers Plains, Australia
| | - Benjamin L L Tan
- Forensic and Scientific Services, Queensland Health, Coopers Plains, Australia
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Hungerford NL, Carter SJ, Anuj SR, Tan BLL, Hnatko D, Martin CL, Sharma E, Yin M, Nguyen TTP, Melksham KJ, Fletcher MT. Analysis of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids in Queensland Honey: Using Low Temperature Chromatography to Resolve Stereoisomers and Identify Botanical Sources by UHPLC-MS/MS. Toxins (Basel) 2019; 11:E726. [PMID: 31835836 PMCID: PMC6950414 DOI: 10.3390/toxins11120726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2019] [Revised: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are a diverse group of plant secondary metabolites with known varied toxicity. Consumption of 1,2-unsaturated PAs has been linked to acute and chronic liver damage, carcinogenicity and death, in livestock and humans, making their presence in food of concern to food regulators in Australia and internationally. In this survey, honey samples sourced from markets and shops in Queensland (Australia), were analysed by high-resolution Orbitrap UHPLC-MS/MS for 30 common PAs. Relationships between the occurrence of pyrrolizidine alkaloids and the botanical origin of the honey are essential as pyrrolizidine alkaloid contamination at up to 3300 ng/g were detected. In this study, the predominant alkaloids detected were isomeric PAs, lycopsamine, indicine and intermedine, exhibiting identical MS/MS spectra, along with lesser amounts of each of their N-oxides. Crucially, chromatographic UHPLC conditions were optimised by operation at low temperature (5 °C) to resolve these key isomeric PAs. Such separation of these isomers by UHPLC, enabled the relative proportions of these PAs present in honey to be compared to alkaloid levels in suspect source plants. Overall plant pyrrolizidine alkaloid profiles were compared to those found in honey samples to help identify the most important plants responsible for honey contamination. The native Australian vines of Parsonsia spp. are proposed as a likely contributor to high levels of lycopsamine in many of the honeys surveyed. Botanical origin information such as this, gained via low temperature chromatographic resolution of isomeric PAs, will be very valuable in identifying region of origin for honey samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natasha L. Hungerford
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; (C.L.M.); (E.S.); (M.Y.); (T.T.P.N.)
| | - Steve J. Carter
- Forensic and Scientific Services, Queensland Health, Brisbane, QLD 4108, Australia; (S.J.C.); (S.R.A.); (B.L.L.T.); (D.H.); (K.J.M.)
| | - Shalona R. Anuj
- Forensic and Scientific Services, Queensland Health, Brisbane, QLD 4108, Australia; (S.J.C.); (S.R.A.); (B.L.L.T.); (D.H.); (K.J.M.)
| | - Benjamin L. L. Tan
- Forensic and Scientific Services, Queensland Health, Brisbane, QLD 4108, Australia; (S.J.C.); (S.R.A.); (B.L.L.T.); (D.H.); (K.J.M.)
| | - Darina Hnatko
- Forensic and Scientific Services, Queensland Health, Brisbane, QLD 4108, Australia; (S.J.C.); (S.R.A.); (B.L.L.T.); (D.H.); (K.J.M.)
| | - Christopher L. Martin
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; (C.L.M.); (E.S.); (M.Y.); (T.T.P.N.)
| | - Elipsha Sharma
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; (C.L.M.); (E.S.); (M.Y.); (T.T.P.N.)
| | - Mukan Yin
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; (C.L.M.); (E.S.); (M.Y.); (T.T.P.N.)
| | - Thao T. P. Nguyen
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; (C.L.M.); (E.S.); (M.Y.); (T.T.P.N.)
| | - Kevin J. Melksham
- Forensic and Scientific Services, Queensland Health, Brisbane, QLD 4108, Australia; (S.J.C.); (S.R.A.); (B.L.L.T.); (D.H.); (K.J.M.)
| | - Mary T. Fletcher
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; (C.L.M.); (E.S.); (M.Y.); (T.T.P.N.)
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Carpinelli de Jesus M, Hungerford NL, Carter SJ, Anuj SR, Blanchfield JT, De Voss JJ, Fletcher MT. Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids of Blue Heliotrope ( Heliotropium amplexicaule) and Their Presence in Australian Honey. J Agric Food Chem 2019; 67:7995-8006. [PMID: 31145604 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.9b02136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Blue heliotrope (Heliotropium amplexicaule) is an invasive environmental weed that is widely naturalized in eastern Australia and has been implicated as a source of pyrrolizidine alkaloid (PA) poisoning in livestock. Less well-documented is the potential of such carcinogenic alkaloids to contaminate honey from bees foraging on this plant species. In this study, the PA profile of H. amplexicaule plant material, determined by HRAM LC-MS/MS, revealed the presence of nine PAs and PA-N-oxides, including several PAs and PA-N-oxides of the indicine class, which have not previously been reported. The predominant alkaloid, indicine, represents 84% of the reduced PA content, with minor alkaloids identified as intermedine and the newly reported helioamplexine, constituting 7 and 9%, respectively. NMR analysis confirmed the identity of helioamplexine as a previously unreported indicine homologue. This is the first report of the isolation of intermedine, helioamplexine, and 3'-O-angelylindicine from H. amplexicaule. Also described is the identification of N-chloromethyl analogues of the major alkaloids as isolation-derived artifacts from reactions with dichloromethane. Analysis of regional-market honey samples revealed a number of honey samples with PA profiles analogous to that seen in H. amplexicaule, with measured PA contents of up to 2.0 μg of PAs per gram of honey. These results confirm the need for honey producers to be aware of H. amplexicaule as a potential PA source, most particularly in products where honey is sourced from a single location.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Steve J Carter
- Forensic and Scientific Services , Queensland Health , Brisbane , Queensland 4108 , Australia
| | - Shalona R Anuj
- Forensic and Scientific Services , Queensland Health , Brisbane , Queensland 4108 , Australia
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