FAQ: Does BERTRAND contain tropane alkaloids?

Tropane alkaloids (TA) occur naturally in certain plants such as henbane, jimsonweed, and deadly nightshade. Some of these alkaloids are also used as active pharmaceutical ingredients, such as atropine. They are known to affect heart rate and the central nervous system even at low doses. Drowsiness, headaches, and nausea are typical symptoms.

Tropane alkaloids can also occur in cereal-based foods when grains are contaminated with seeds from henbane or jimsonweed. High levels of tropane alkaloids in cereal products can cause adverse health effects in people with heart conditions. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) reached this conclusion in Opinion No. 035/2014, dated November 13, 2013. This apparently also prompted one of our customers to ask: “Does BERTRAND actually contain tropane alkaloids?”

The answer is: We don't always know.

Unfortunately, testing for tropane alkaloids is not an analysis routinely carried out by the raw material supplier. However, the risk of adverse health effects is very low, as the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) also concluded. Nevertheless, we took this inquiry as an opportunity to have a product sample analyzed by our regular laboratory, INTERTEK, and this sample contained no detectable tropane alkaloids.

INTERTEK Tropane Alkaloid (TA) Analysis – PDF

In the RAQ (Rarely Asked Questions) blog series, we publish questions that are interesting but have only been asked once or twice.