Food safety concerns regarding pyrrolizidine alkaloid contamination in tea and honey from Italy: exposure levels and health risk implications

This study evaluated the presence and distribution of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) and their N-oxides (PANOs) in black and green tea (Camellia sinensis L.) (n = 79) and monofloral and multifloral honey (n = 439) samples from Italy. Additionally, it aimed to estimate dietary exposure and assess potential health risks from chronic PA/PANO intake among Italian consumers. Three exposure scenarios were considered: 1) tea consumption alone, 2) honey consumption alone, and 3) tea sweetened with honey. PAs/PANOs were detected in 91 % of tea samples, with 28 % exceeding the European regulatory limit of 150 μg/kg. The highest concentration (1345 μg/kg) was found in a black tea sample and lycopsamine, lycopsamine N-oxide, and echinatine N-oxide were the predominant contaminants. In honey, 25 % of samples contained quantifiable PA/PANO levels, with a mean concentration of 2.00 μg/kg. Thyme honey showed the highest levels (50.0 μg/kg), followed by multifloral and thistle honeys (up to 47.0 μg/kg). Echimidine and echimidine N-oxide were the most frequently detected analytes. Risk characterization revealed that the consumption of tea or tea sweetened with honey containing high PA/PANO concentrations can pose health risks for heavy consumers across all age groups, with margins of exposure (MoEs) falling near or below the 10,000 safety threshold. In contrast, honey alone posed minimal risk (MoEs >10,000), except for young consumers of highly contaminated honey. Overall, these findings underscore the need for ongoing PAs/PANOs monitoring and proactive risk management measures, including the potential implementation of regulatory limits for foods like honey not yet covered under European legislation.