Pyrrolizidine alkaloids in rooibos tea

According to Commission Regulation (EU) 2020/2040 of the European Commission amending regulation (EC) No 1881/2006 maximum levels of pyrrolizidine alkaloids apply to certain foodstoff from 1 July 2022 on.

The maximum level refers to 35 pyrrolizidine alkaloids as mentioned in the respective regulation. A selection of the 35 pyrrolizidine alkaloids are within the scope of this ring test.

Rooibos tea with spiked and incurred levels of pyrrolizidine alkaloids is provided as test material. The corresponding unspiked rooibos tea is available as blank material. The blank material might contain incurred levels of pyrrolizidine alkaloids.

The aim of the test is

the identification of the pyrrolizidine alkaloids.
the correct quantification of the spiked pyrrolizidine alkaloids
with respect to the trueness criterion (70-120 % recovery of the spiked level).
the correct quantification of the spiked and incurred pyrrolizidine alkaloids
with respect to the comparability criterion (z-score ≤ |2|).

Reporting limits of at least 2 µg/kg are required for the individual PAs.

Parameters

echimidine, echimidine-NO, europine, europine-NO, heliotrine, heliotrine-NO, intermedine, intermedine-NO, lasiocarpine, lasiocarpine-NO, lycopsamine, lycopsamine-NO, retrorsine, retrorsine-NO, senecionine, senecionine-NO, seneciphylline, seneciphylline-NO, senecivernine, senecivernine-NO, senkirkine, echinatine, echinatine-NO, heliosupine, heliosupine-NO, indicine, indicine-NO, integerrimine, integerrimine-NO, rinderine, rinderine-NO, spartioidine, spartioidine-NO, usaramine, usaramine-NO, sum intermedine/lycopsamine, sum intermedine/lycopsamine/indicine/echinatine/rinderine, sum intermedine-NO/lycopsamine-NO, sum intermedine-NO/lycopsamine-NO/indicine-NO/echinatine-NO/rinderine-NO, sum senecionine/senecivernine, sum senecionine/senecivernine/integerrimine, sum senecionine-NO/seneciverine-NO, sum senecionine-NO/senecivernine-NO/integerrimine-NO, sum echimidine/heliosupine, sum echimidine-NO/heliosupine-NO, sum seneciphylline/spartioidine, sum seneciphylline-NO/spartioidine-NO, sum retrorsine/usaramine, sum retrorsine-NO/usaramine-NO

Expected time schedule

Please register before:
01 March 2023

Dispatch of samples:
24 April 2023

Deadline for reporting results:
23 May 2023

Costs of P2307-RT

Ring test and material	Amount	Price per unit
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids in rooibos tea	–	820 €
Test material Rooibos tea, milled, with spiked and incurred levels of PAs.	50 g	included
Blank material Rooibos tea, milled, unspiked, might contain incurred levels of PAs.	50 g	included

Note: PROOF-ACS reserves the right to cancel tests in case of less than ten participants.