Food safety hazards of bee pollen – A review

Bee pollen is a natural apicultural product that is becoming popular among health-conscious consumers due to its wide variety of nutrients and bioactive substances. However, only a limited number of countries have established requirements for the quality and safety of the product so far. In this review, recent findings on the food safety risks of bee pollen and data about the concentration of toxic substances detected in the products are summarized. Pollen loads may become contaminated from the environment with pesticides, heavy metals, metalloids and mycotoxin-producing molds. In addition, pollen of certain plant species initially contain hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids in relatively large concentrations. Allergens and pollen grains from genetically modified plants may also be present in these products. Based on literature data, a risk assessment was conducted for the most common pesticide active substances (chlorpyrifos, fluvalinate, carbendazim, thiacloprid), toxicologically important elements (arsenic, cadmium, mercury, lead), common mycotoxins (aflatoxin-B1, ochratoxin-A, fumonisins, zearalenone, deoxynivalenol, T-2 toxin) and pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Key Findings and Conclusions: Our results suggest that pesticide residues usually do not pose a chronic risk to consumers, but the estimated acute exposure values can be close to the acute reference dose (ARfD). Arsenic, cadmium, lead and pyrrolizidine alkaloid content of bee pollen potentially pose a health risk to consumers, therefore it is recommended to set a maximum limit for these substances and monitor their concentration in commercially available products. Since scientific data regarding the mercury and mycotoxin content of bee pollen is incomplete, further studies are needed in order to summarize the food safety hazards of bee pollen pollutants.