Development and validation of a green UHPLC-MS/MS method for simultaneous determination of pyrrolizidine and tropane alkaloids in honey and pollen
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Pyrrolizidine (PA) and tropane alkaloids (TA) are widely distributed phytotoxins considered by the European Food Safety Authority as hepatotoxic and neurotoxic agents respectively. The main source of exposure are plant-derived products such as teas, cereals, species, honey, and pollen. This study presents a rapid, simple, and green analytical method for the determination of 28 PAs and 2 TAs in honey and pollen matrices by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. The methodology was validated in both matrices, demonstrating accuracy values ranging from 70 % to 130 %, relative standard deviations (RSDs) between 3 % and 23 %, and LOD and LOQ ranging from 0.6 to 2.7 µg Kg −1 and from 2.0 to 9.1 µg Kg −1 , respectively, in compliance with the criteria established by the European Union. The method has been applied to the analysis of 6 honey and 7 pollen samples. Among the honey samples, four of them showed a total concentration ranging from 6.3 to 12.3 µg Kg −1 . Pollen samples showed higher concentrations, ranging from 11.2 to 1654.1 µg Kg −1 , with one sample exceeding the maximum levels set by the European Union. Furthermore, the greenness, applicability and analytical performances of the developed method were assessed using evaluation metric tools. The results confirmed that the method is not only analytically robust and broadly applicable but also aligns with green chemistry principles.
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,450
Awards: G4909345295, G7398047371, G8227968514
OpenAlex ID: W4417467202