Informe del Comité Científico de la Agencia Española de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición (AESAN) sobre el riesgo asociado a la presencia de alcaloides de la pirrolizidina en polen destinado al consumo humano

Abstract

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are natural toxins, the product of the secondary metabolism of plants which are produced as a defence mechanism against herbivores. Their chemical structure is based on a pyrrolizidine ring, consisting of two rings fused together by a bridge nitrogen atom. There are approximately 600 known alkaloids, 95 % of which are found in five plant families: Asteraceae, Boraginaceae, Fabaceae, Orchidaceae and Apocynaceae. The pyrrolizidine alkaloids have a common toxicity profile, the main ones being various degrees of liver damage (centrolobular hepatocellular necrosis) and veno occlusive disease. In addition, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified them as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” (group 2B). The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued opinions on different aspects of these alkaloids in 2011, 2016 and 2017, and the European Commission has provisionally selected 17 of these as relevant in food. In the absence of a legal limit which enables the competent inspection authorities to make decisions based on this limit in the event of the detection of these alkaloids in pollen, the Section of Food Safety and Nutrition of the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) is asked to conduct an assessment of the risk associated with the presence of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in pollen intended for human consumption to serve as a basis for taking such decisions. According to currently available data and the estimations made, and considering all the uncertainties identified in the risk assessment process, the intake of pyrrolizidine alkaloids through the consumption of pollen may lead to chronic risk for the Spanish population. However, the appearance of acute risks is not considered likely. In order to conduct a more realistic risk assessment, studies of pollen consumption among the Spanish population are recommended. Similarly, the establishment of legal limits for pyrrolizidine alkaloid content is considered to be appropriate in order to limit the risk of exposure