Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.46419/vs.56.4.9

Analysis of residues of veterinary drugs – nitroimidazoles in rare honey species

Dijana Mišetić Ostojić orcid.org/0000-0002-3740-5082 ; roatian Veterinary Institute, Veterinary Center Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
Tomislav Pavlešić orcid.org/0000-0002-3663-5978 ; University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia and Croatian Agency for Agriculture and Food, Centre for Viticulture, Enology and Edible Oils Analysis, Zagreb, Croatia
Natalija Džafić ; Croatian Veterinary Institute, Veterinary Center Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
Barbara Boljkovac Begić orcid.org/0009-0000-1423-0075 ; Croatian Veterinary Institute, Veterinary Center Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
Nina Bilandžić ; Croatian Veterinary Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
Kristina Kvrgić orcid.org/0000-0002-2102-1113 ; Croatian Veterinary Institute, Veterinary Center Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia *

* Corresponding author.

Abstract

Honey is a natural product producedby honeybees valued for its nutritional andhealth benefits. However, contaminationwith veterinary drug residues, such as ni-troimidazoles (NMZ), poses a health risk toconsumers. Nitroimidazoles, banned in theEuropean Union due to their carcinogenicand genotoxic properties, have been mis-used in beekeeping to treat diseases suchas nosemosis. The aim of this study was todetect nitroimidazole residues in rare uni-floral honey species from Croatia, Ailanthusaltissima (Mill) Swingle and Mentha spp.,using a validated ultra-performance liquidchromatography-tandem mass spectrometrymethod. Although the applied method wasoriginally developed for the determinationof NMZs in poultry muscle and eggs, the re-sults of the validation study show that it isalso suitable for determination in honey withsome modifications. For all analytes, the de-cision limit and detection capability valueswere between 0.33 and 0.71 µg/kg, which isbelow the minimum method performancerequirement for NMZs in honey of 1 µg/kgset by the European Union Reference Labo-ratories. Ten nitroimidazoles were analysedin 11 honey samples and no residues weredetected, confirming compliance with Eu-ropean regulations. These results are in linewith broader studies showing rare NMZ con-tamination in the global honey market. How-ever, they emphasise the need for continuousHoney is a natural product producedby honeybees valued for its nutritional andhealth benefits. However, contaminationwith veterinary drug residues, such as ni-troimidazoles (NMZ), poses a health risk toconsumers. Nitroimidazoles, banned in theEuropean Union due to their carcinogenicand genotoxic properties, have been mis-used in beekeeping to treat diseases suchas nosemosis. The aim of this study was todetect nitroimidazole residues in rare uni-floral honey species from Croatia, Ailanthusaltissima (Mill) Swingle and Mentha spp.,using a validated ultra-performance liquidchromatography-tandem mass spectrometrymethod. Although the applied method wasoriginally developed for the determinationof NMZs in poultry muscle and eggs, the re-sults of the validation study show that it isalso suitable for determination in honey withsome modifications. For all analytes, the de-cision limit and detection capability valueswere between 0.33 and 0.71 µg/kg, which isbelow the minimum method performancerequirement for NMZs in honey of 1 µg/kgset by the European Union Reference Labo-ratories. Ten nitroimidazoles were analysedin 11 honey samples and no residues weredetected, confirming compliance with Eu-ropean regulations. These results are in linewith broader studies showing rare NMZ con-tamination in the global honey market. How-ever, they emphasise the need for continuousmonitoring, especially as the possible use ofbanned NMZs in honey production cannot becompletely ruled out. Future studies shouldalso investigate the transfer of NMZs frombeeswax to honey, emphasising the impor-tance of good beekeeping practises to avoidcontamination.monitoring, especially as the possible use ofbanned NMZs in honey production cannot becompletely ruled out. Future studies shouldalso investigate the transfer of NMZs frombeeswax to honey, emphasising the impor-tance of good beekeeping practises to avoidcontamination.

Keywords

nitroimidazoles; honey; prohibited substances; UHPLC/MS-MS

Hrčak ID:

322611

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/322611

Publication date:

26.1.2025.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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