Pyrrolizidine alkaloids and tropane alkaloids in dried nettle

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. According to Commission Regulation (EU) 2021/1408 new maximum levels of tropane alkaloids apply from 1 September 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. Futhermore, the tropane alkaloids hyoscyamine and scopolamine are covered by this test.

Dried nettle is provided as test material. The nettle is milled to a fine powder. The test material contains spiked and incurred levels of pyrrolizidine alkaloids as well as spiked levels of tropane alkaloids. The blank material might contain incurred levels of pyrrolizidine alkaloids.

The aim of the test is

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

Parameters

echimidine, echimidine-N-oxide, europine, europine-N-oxide, heliotrine, heliotrine-N-oxide, intermedine, intermedine-N-oxide, lasiocarpine, lasiocarpine-N-oxide, lycopsamine, lycopsamine-N-oxide, retrorsine, retrorsine-N-oxide, senecionine, senecionine-N-oxide, seneciphylline, seneciphylline-N-oxide, senecivernine, senecivernine-N-oxide, senkirkine, echinatine, echinatine-N-oxide, heliosupine, heliosupine-N-oxide, indicine, indicine-N-oxide, integerrimine, integerrimine-N-oxide, rinderine, rinderine-N-oxide, spartioidine, spartioidine-N-oxide, usaramine, usaramine-N-oxide, 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, hyoscyamine, scopolamine

Expected time schedule

Please register before:
15 July 2022

Dispatch of samples:
24 October 2022

Deadline for reporting results:
16 November 2022

Costs of P2203-RT

Ring test and material	Amount	Price per unit
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids and tropane alkaloids in dried nettle	–	790 €
Test material Dried nettle, milled, with spiked levels of TAs and and spiked and incurred levels of PAs.	50 g	included
Blank material Dried nettle, milled, unspiked, probably with incurred levels of PAs.	50 g	included

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