Analysis of 101 Plant-Based Protein Foods Finds 25 Mycotoxins and 8 Alkaloids
Researchers at the University of Chemistry and Technology Prague screened 101 samples, including plant protein isolates, extruded products and veggie burgers, for 57 mycotoxins and 48 plant alkaloids using high-resolution mass spectrometry. Tenuazonic acid reached up to 2,800 μg/kg, and atropine and scopolamine were also found in soy.
An analytical study on the state of natural toxin contamination in meat alternatives and plant-based protein products has been published in Food Chemistry. Researchers in the Department of Food Analysis and Nutrition at the University of Chemistry and Technology Prague (UCT Prague) in the Czech Republic analysed 101 samples, including protein isolates and concentrates, extruded products and veggie burger mixes, simultaneously for 57 mycotoxins, 16 tropane alkaloids and 32 pyrrolizidine alkaloids by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (U-HPLC-HRMS/MS).
As a result, 25 mycotoxins and 8 alkaloids were quantified. The most common were enniatins and Alternaria mycotoxins. The highest concentrations were tenuazonic acid at 2,800 μg/kg and deoxynivalenol at 890 μg/kg. Among plant alkaloids, atropine and scopolamine were detected most often, measured at up to 33 μg/kg and 12 μg/kg respectively in soy samples.
Which product groups contribute to exposure
In the risk assessment, extruded soy products, veggie burger mixes and rice protein were named as the main contributors to natural toxin exposure. In particular, exposure risk to aflatoxin B1, Alternaria toxins, and atropine and scopolamine was estimated to be relatively high for children. The researchers said data on alkaloid contamination are lacking compared with how quickly the plant-based protein market is growing, and they raised the need for continued monitoring.
This study is a cross-sectional survey of 101 samples collected from the market of a particular country, and exposure estimates vary with intake assumptions. Detection itself does not necessarily mean harm to health, and comparison with regulatory limits and long-term exposure assessment remain tasks for follow-up studies.
- 101 samples analysed simultaneously for 57 mycotoxins and 48 alkaloids by U-HPLC-HRMS/MS
- Tenuazonic acid up to 2,800 μg/kg, DON 890 μg/kg, atropine 33 and scopolamine 12 μg/kg
- Extruded soy products, veggie burger mixes and rice protein were the main exposure sources, with relatively higher risk for children
Limitations A cross-sectional analysis of samples from a single country's market, and exposure estimates depend on intake assumptions. Detection does not necessarily mean harm to health.
Original research
- Prusova N, Dolezalova T, Dzuman Z, Vitova E, et al. · University of Chemistry and Technology Prague (Czech Republic). Mycotoxins and plant alkaloids in plant-based protein foods and meat alternatives: Occurrence, exposure and risk assessment. Food Chemistry. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2026.151250
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