Natural plant toxins in honey: An ignored threat to human health

Yan, Sha; Wang, Kai; Naggar, Yahya Al; Heyden, Yvan Vander; Zhao, Lingling; Wu, Liming; Xue, Xiao‐Feng

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.127682

Cited by 25 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 113 publications

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“…Given that honey bees are production animals, the analytic toxicology laboratory also has a role in residue avoidance in bee products such as honey, wax, and pollen. 143 Most of the current toxicity data for honey bees is based on LD 50 values from individual insect studies; however, this information does not translate well to the super-organism, which can withstand the loss of a large number of individual workers, nor does it account for the complex mixtures of xenobiotics to which honey bees are exposed throughout their life cycle. 10 Chronic and sublethal exposures are likely to impact queen health and brood survival, and therefore sustainability of the colony.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of the veterinary diagnostic toxicologist in apiary health

Bischoff,

Moiseff

2023

J VET Diagn Invest

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Susceptibility of individuals and groups to toxicants depends on complex interactions involving the host, environment, and other exposures. Apiary diagnostic investigation and honey bee health are truly population medicine: the colony is the patient. Here we provide basic information on the application of toxicology to the testing of domestic honey bees, and, in light of recent research, expand on some of the challenges of interpreting analytical chemistry findings as they pertain to hive health. The hive is an efficiently organized system of wax cells used to store brood, honey, and bee bread, and is protected by the bee-procured antimicrobial compound propolis. Toxicants can affect individual workers outside or inside the hive, with disease processes that range from acute to chronic and subclinical to lethal. Toxicants can impact brood and contaminate honey, bee bread, and structural wax. We provide an overview of important natural and synthetic toxicants to which honey bees are exposed; behavioral, husbandry, and external environmental factors influencing exposure; short- and long-term impacts of toxicant exposure on individual bee and colony health; and the convergent impacts of stress, nutrition, infectious disease, and toxicant exposures on colony health. Current and potential future toxicology testing options are included. Common contaminants in apiary products consumed or used by humans (honey, wax, pollen), their sources, and the potential need for product testing are also noted.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of the veterinary diagnostic toxicologist in apiary health

Bischoff,

Moiseff

2023

J VET Diagn Invest

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“…That shows a good awareness among consumers, since egg spoilage is a microecological phenomenon, involving several specific spoilage microorganisms [ 42 ]. Considering honey, it presents some hazardous components that are both well known (for reviews see [ 43 ]) and less known, such as plant toxins [ 44 ]. People often believe that ‘natural food’ is harmless and honey, as a natural nutritious sweetener, falls into this category, while certain honeys may be toxic due to their high content of toxins [ 44 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Considering honey, it presents some hazardous components that are both well known (for reviews see [ 43 ]) and less known, such as plant toxins [ 44 ]. People often believe that ‘natural food’ is harmless and honey, as a natural nutritious sweetener, falls into this category, while certain honeys may be toxic due to their high content of toxins [ 44 ]. In the current study, ‘Environmental contaminants’ was the primary hazard source perceived, and this again showed a good awareness among citizens, since pesticides [ 45 ] and heavy metals (e.g., lead, arsenic, and mercury [ 46 ]) are hazardous components in honey and can be considered environment contaminants.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding Italian Consumers’ Perception of Safety in Animal Food Products

Piochi

Fontefrancesco

Torri

2022

Foods

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The concept of food safety is still underexplored among consumers, especially in relationship with the perception of food technology. Through an online survey (n = 489), this study explored: I, how perceived safety is related to products obtained with different technological treatments and described with different commercial information; II, the role of food technology neophobia (FTN) in consumers’ safety perception of animal food products. The technological transformation and commercial information significantly affected the perceived safety in all product categories. Milk and eggs were associated with a high number of perceived hazards (with similar patterns), while honey to the lowest. The certification ‘organic’ positively affected the safety perception of eggs and honey. With the increase of the distance in product origin (local/regional vs. Extra-European) the perceived safety consistently decreased. FTN affected the perceived safety of milk and eggs, depending on the degree of familiarity with the technologies of production. Highly FT neophobic people are perceived as less safe than low FT neophobic people with few familiar products with a higher technological degree of transformation. Results expand the knowledge in people’s attitude towards animal products, particularly considering the technology perception. The outputs may interest policy-makers and food companies, in rethinking the communication strategy concerning food safety.

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“…For more than a century, a number of cases of honey-led poisoning linked to the tutu plant (C. arborea), were reported from New Zealand. 52,54,55,58,211 The clinical manifestations included seizures, delirium, and memory impairment, which were similar to the poisoning effects aer the ingestion of berries of tutu. Actually, the European honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) sometimes collected honeydew excreted by the hopper S. australis, which fed on the sap of Coriaria species and their honey was toxic to humans.…”

Section: Toxicitymentioning

confidence: 92%