Tropane alkaloids in food

Abstract

Tropane alkaloids occur in many plant families and their toxic effects can cause mild symptoms or even death, depending on the dose. They are most commonly introduced into the human body through contamination, misuse or deliberate abuse due to their intoxicating effects. They are present in food for general consumption, sometimes causing documented poisoning, due to inadequate cleaning of cereals, pulses or other grain crops, but especially organic products produced without chemicals. The EU legislation published in 2021 set tolerances for tropane alkaloids for a relatively wide range of plant materials, and therefore consistent compliance with the regulation will reduce the food safety risk from tropane alkaloid contamination, although food poisoning incidents in recent years have highlighted the need to broaden the range of food substances covered.