Aflatoxins, fumonisins, citrinin, and zearalenone contents and health risk estimates in bee products in Turkey

Food contamination is an important global food safety issue. This study aimed to detect aflatoxins (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2), fumonisins (FB1, FB2), citrinin (CIT), and zearalenone (ZEA) in four bee product groups (honey, royal jelly, bee pollen, propolis) in Turkey. Additionally, exposure and risk assessments were made for mycotoxins detected in these products. Mycotoxin analyzes in bee products were carried out by high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet (HPLC-UV) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS-MS) methods. The most frequently detected mycotoxins in all bee products were ZEA (37.5%) and AFB2 (36.6%). The analysis showed that the average concentrations of FB2 (2.091 ?g/kg), AFB1 (0.595 ?g/kg), and ZEA (0.009 ?g/kg) in all bee products were above the detection limit levels, while the levels of AFB2, AFG1, AFG2, FB1, and CIT were below the limit of detection. When comparing bee products, it was found that honey samples were more exposed to AFB2 and FB1, bee pollen to FB1, propolis to AFB2, and royal jelly to ZEA contamination. AFG1 and CIT were not detected in propolis and bee pollen, respectively. All mycotoxins analyzed in the study pose no health risks when bee products are consumed daily.