Stable isotope ratios and current-use pesticide levels in edible insects: Implications on chemical food safety

• Published in: Food research international 2024-03, Vol.179, p.114020-114020, Article 114020
• Main Authors: Macan Schönleben, Alicia, Yin, Shanshan, Strak, Ethan, Johnson, Alison, Belova, Lidia, Ait Bamai, Yu, van Nuijs, Alexander L.N., Poma, Giulia, Covaci, Adrian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Environmental contaminants; Food authenticity; Food safety; High-resolution mass spectrometry; Novel food; Pesticide screening; Stable isotope ratio analysis
• ISSN: 0963-9969; 1873-7145
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2024.114020

[Display omitted] •Isotope compositions of edible insects differed between countries.•Stable isotopes could be used to determine pesticide occurrence in edible insects.•26 CUPs were identified via suspect screening using HRMS.•30 additional CUPs were quantified by target analysis using tandem mass spectrometry.•We found limited chemical risk in edible insects regarding pesticide contamination. In the past years, the European Union (EU) has added edible insects to the list of novel foods, allowing an increasing number of insect-based products into the European market. With insects gaining more popularity in the Western world, it is crucial to investigate their chemical food safety. This study aimed at investigating possible isotopic patterns in different edible insect species (n = 52) from Asia, Africa and Europe using stable isotope ratio analysis (SIRA) to provide a framework for future investigations on food authenticity and traceability. Additionally, complementary mass-spectrometric screening approaches were applied to gain a comprehensive overview of contamination levels of current-use pesticides (CUPs) in edible insects, to assess their chemical food safety. SIRA revealed significant differences between countries in δ13CVPDB- (p