2023-05-19 09:50:03
Bee pollen is a natural product prized for its nutritional and medicinal benefits, and is gaining popularity for its potential use as food and livestock supplement. However, a study led by the CSIC, in collaboration with the University of Almería, has detected the presence of four mycotoxins —aflatoxin B1, ochratoxin A, zearalenone and deoxynivalenol— in pollen samples from up to 28 countries, including Spain, which represent a latent threat for human health.
Some of these compounds produced naturally by a few species of fungi or crop molds, such as aflatoxins, have been recognized by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as the natural compounds with increased carcinogenic potential for humans that are known, followed by ochratoxin A, deoxynivalenol, or zearalenone. The work has been published in the journal Food Control.
Some of the compounds found in bee pollen have great carcinogenic potential for humans
Mycotoxins are a family of molecules that are usually found in food and that can pose a risk to the health of consumers, and for which no legal restrictions have been established in bee pollen. Along with their carcinogenic effects, they have also been described as potent agents immunosuppressive, mutagenic and teratogenic.
In this study, it was evaluated immunoenzymatic assaysthe presence of five mycotoxins —aflatoxin B1, ochratoxin A, zearalenone, deoxynivalenol and toxin T2— in 80 bee pollen samples from countries such as China, Spain, the United States, India, Italy and Russia, among others.
“Through the ELISA technique, mycotoxins have been detected in all samples analyzed”, explains Maria Dolores Hernando, researcher at the Arid Zones Experimental Station (EEZA-CSIC). “These samples, in addition to the different provenance, include a wide diversity in the characteristics of commercialized pollen for human consumption, such as its form of production (conventional and organic), its floral composition (mono and multifloral) and its processing (fresh, dehydrated pollen and as bee bread)”, he adds.
The risk of aflatoxin B1 is considered of high concern in 84% of detected cases
The research team has also evaluated the exposure margin as an indicator of the level of health hazard regarding the presence of carcinogenic mycotoxins and the risk associated with exposure to one or more mycotoxins. To this end, the consumption data from the European Food Consumption Database of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for different population groups have been considered.
In 28% of the cases analyzed, the deoxynivalenol content exceeded toxicological reference valueswhile aflatoxin B1, due to its concentration and detection frequency of 98 %, is considered of high concern in 84% of cases.
Due to the lack of information on the extent of contamination with hazardous substances in bee pollen, a number of questions remain regarding the safety of this bee product. The researchers of this work show the need to improve the processes of drying and conservation of pollen, as well as the extension of food safety controls to products considered, in general, of low consumption.
Reference:
Hernando, M. H. et al. “First survey on the presence of mycotoxins in commercial bee pollen sourced from 28 countries”, Food Control (2023)
Rights: Creative Commons.
#Mycotoxins #detected #bee #pollen #marketed #human #consumption #countries