Contamination of xenoestrogens bisphenol A and F in honey: safety assessment and analytical method of these compounds in honey

The potential risks to human health and reproduction from the xenoestrogen, epoxy-resins compounds, bisphenols have not been well established. This is due in part to the absence of accurate analytical methods to quantify bisphenols in food samples. In fact, the possibility of contamination of honey with epoxy-resins compounds arises from packing, contact materials, imported production, etc. First, an analytical method for the determination of bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol F (BPF) in honeys was developed. Reversed-phase liquid chromatography was used for measuring BPA and BPF in honey sample, prepared with solid-phase extraction. The recoveries of BPA and BPF spiked at 5.0 and 50 ng/g were above 90% with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of less than 10%. Second, this method was applied to various honey samples (n = 107) from different countries; BPA was detected in only a few of them (detected levels: ND < 2.0-33.3 ng/g), while BPF was not detected at all in the analyzed samples. Third, an assessment of BPA levels in honey was expressed by our analytical data and references. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.