Pyrrolizidine alkaloids in herbal teas for infants, pregnant or lactating women.

Inga Mädge, Luise Cramer, Ines Rahaus, Gerold Jerz, Peter Winterhalter, Till Beuerle

Index: Food Chem. 187 , 491-8, (2015)

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Abstract

A general contamination of tea with pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA) has just become known. Here, we report the application and modification of a new HPLC-ESI-MS/MS sum parameter method to quantitate PA content of herbal teas intended for infants, pregnant and lactating women. Using p-toluenesulfonyl isocyanate for derivatization and a stable isotope labeled internal standard, the total retronecine-/heliotridine-type PA content of the samples is expressed in form of a single sum parameter (retronecine equivalents: RE). The new methods were applied to analyze 44 tea samples for such consumer groups. Thirty eight products (86%) were tested PA positive showing PA concentrations ranging from 0 to 391 μg RE/kg (average: 50 μg RE/kg). The dataset is discussed in the view of the current discussion on PA in the food chain with special focus on those particular vulnerable consumer groups.Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.