Publications by authors named "Darina Hnatko"
Occurrence of environmental contaminants (pesticides, herbicides, PAHs) in Australian/Queensland honey.
Food Addit Contam Part B Surveill
September 2021
Article Synopsis
- Honey is valued as a health food due to its natural production by honeybees and its sugar content, but it can also carry environmental contaminants.
- This study investigated 212 honey samples from different areas in Queensland, Australia, focusing on pesticide, herbicide, and PAH levels.
- The analysis revealed low or negligible levels of contamination, indicating that honey from rural, peri-urban, and urban sources is consistently safe from these pollutants.
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are a diverse group of plant secondary metabolites with known varied toxicity. Consumption of 1,2-unsaturated PAs has been linked to acute and chronic liver damage, carcinogenicity and death, in livestock and humans, making their presence in food of concern to food regulators in Australia and internationally. In this survey, honey samples sourced from markets and shops in Queensland (Australia), were analysed by high-resolution Orbitrap UHPLC-MS/MS for 30 common PAs.
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