Almutairi Lulu, AlSayari Abdullah, Almubayedh Somaiah, AlSubaie Sarah, AlMudhehi Thamer, Almutairi Malak, Alqahtani Amani S
Executive Department of Research and Studies, Saudi Food and Drug Authority, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Reference Laboratory, Saudi Food and Drug Authority, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Toxicol Rep. 2025 Jun 8;14:102066. doi: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2025.102066. eCollection 2025 Jun.
Chloramphenicol (CAP) is a broad-spectrum antibiotic with potentially fatal side effects, including suspected carcinogenicity and toxicity in sensitive individuals. Due to these risks, CAP has been banned in food-producing animals, including honey, by regulatory authorities worldwide. This study investigates the presence of CAP residues in honey products from the Saudi market and evaluates the associated dietary exposure risk.
A total of 902 honey samples collected during 2018-2019 were retrieved from the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) to investigate honey safety and chemical components. CAP was extracted using a validated liquid-liquid extraction method and quantified using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Dietary exposure was assessed using the margin of exposure (MOE) approach, with relevant data on honey consumption and body weight sourced from published studies.
CAP residues were detected in 54 (6 %) of the tested honey samples, with a mean concentration of 0.16 ± 0.032 µg/kg. The 95th percentile MOE for adults was 31,752 in the lower-bound scenario and 24,290 in the upper-bound scenario, exceeding the critical threshold of 10,000 established by the European Food Safety Authority, which indicates low public health concern and low priority for risk management.
Our findings indicate a low health risk associated with honey consumption in Saudi Arabia, as MOE values exceeded the critical safety threshold. However, ongoing monitoring, stricter regulations, and enhanced awareness are recommended to ensure the safety and quality of honey products.
氯霉素（CAP）是一种广谱抗生素，具有潜在的致命副作用，包括对敏感个体的疑似致癌性和毒性。由于这些风险，氯霉素已被全球监管机构禁止用于包括蜂蜜在内的食用动物。本研究调查了沙特市场蜂蜜产品中氯霉素残留的情况，并评估了相关的膳食暴露风险。
从沙特食品药品管理局（SFDA）获取了2018 - 2019年期间收集的902份蜂蜜样本，以调查蜂蜜的安全性和化学成分。采用经过验证的液 - 液萃取方法提取氯霉素，并使用液相色谱 - 串联质谱法（LC - MS/MS）进行定量分析。使用暴露边际（MOE）方法评估膳食暴露，蜂蜜消费量和体重的相关数据来源于已发表的研究。
在54份（6%）检测的蜂蜜样本中检测到氯霉素残留，平均浓度为0.16±0.032μg/kg。成人的第95百分位数MOE在下限情况下为31,752，在上限情况下为24,290，超过了欧洲食品安全局设定的10,000的临界阈值，这表明对公众健康的关注较低，风险管理的优先级也较低。
我们的研究结果表明，沙特阿拉伯食用蜂蜜的健康风险较低，因为MOE值超过了临界安全阈值。然而，建议持续监测、制定更严格的法规并提高认识，以确保蜂蜜产品的安全性和质量。
