Tropane alkaloids, in corn and its products
Tropane alkaloids (TAs) are toxic secondary metabolites naturally produced by plants belonging to the genus of Brassicaceae, Solanaceae, Proteaceae, Rhizophoraceae and Erythroxylaceae. There are more than 200 different TAs identified, and they can be found anywhere in the plant, including seeds, fruits, flowers, leaves and stems. The most studied TAs in foods are atropine (At) and scopolamine (Sc). The production of tropane alkaloids is a valuable defence mechanism for plants against the pest infestations but, at the same time, it also represents a worrying source of contamination for food and feed.
The food contamination could be the consequence of the raw food material in which the TAs are naturally present. On the other hand, the contamination could occur through the co-harvesting plants, i.e. weeds containing tropane alkaloids, with the species of family Solanaceae being the most prominent, such as Datura stramonium. The parts of this plant have been found as accidental impurities in the most important agricultural crops – maize, buckwheat, sunflower, soybean, millet and others..
On 5 February 2018, the Authority published a scientific report on the assessment of acute dietary exposure to tropane alkaloids in the Union population, taking into account new occurrence data. For several acute exposure estimates, the ARfD was exceeded for several population groups. In light of this, the presence of tropane alkaloids, in particular atropine and scopolamine, are considered a health concern.
Last 2021 was published the Commission Regulation (EU) 2021/1408 amending Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006 as regards maximum levels of tropane alkaloids in certain foodstuffs.
In March 2022, The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) was requested to assess the differences in the outcome of the risk assessment of tropane alkaloids (TAs) in food between the CONTAM Panel and the Joint FAO/WHO meeting (FAO/WHO) and they conclude that an update of the EFSA opinion on tropane alkaloids in food and feed was not considered necessary.
The contamination of food and feed with tropane alkaloids is a very worrying food safety issue which is constantly increasing.The fight against tropane alkaloid containing plants in the field is of great importance as impurities of the harvested crop can be only partially eliminated.
During the last weeks several food safety alerts have been launched in some EU countries and globally because of the presence of tropane alkaloids in corn and tortilla chips.
Mérieux NutriSciences can help you with…
We offer you the ISO17025 (*) accredited analysis for the quantification of atropine and scopolamine in your products by liquid chromatography liquid chromatography with mass detector liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).
(*) Click here to see our complete Scopes of ISO17025 accreditations: Italy and Germany
References:
- EFSA. Scientific Opinion on Tropane alkaloids in food and feed. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2013.3386
- JOINT FAO/WHO EXPERT MEETING ON TROPANE ALKALOIDS. Executive Summary
- 30 March – 3 April 2020.
- EFSA. Assessment of the Conclusions of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meeting on Tropane Alkaloids.
- doi: https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2022.7229
- Occurrence and Chemistry of Tropane Alkaloids in Foods, with a Focus on Sample Analysis Methods: A Review on Recent Trends and Technological Advances. Foods 2022, 11, 407. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11030407
- Determination of tropane alkaloids in corn puffs by the LC-MS/MS. December 2021. Zbornik Matice srpske za prirodne nauke 141(141):69-80. http://dx.doi.org/10.2298/ZMSPN2141069S
