Zeitschrift für Lebensmittel : Mikrobiologie, Sicherheit und Hygiene
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Safety Evaluation of Honey from Jatropha Curcas Nectar and its Implication for Honey Production in Ghana

Michael Kodwo Adjaloo*, George Asumeng Koffuor, Emmanuel Akomanin Asiamah, Richard Annan-Dadzie and Benedicta Osei-Donkor

Jatropha curcas L. (Euphorbiaceae) is a plant documented to have an interesting toxicity profile however; bees produce honey from the nectar of its flowers in a Jatropha curcas plantation in the Yeji municipality of the Brong- Ahafo Region of Ghana. This study therefore is aimed at ascertaining the safety for consumption of honey produced from the J. curcas plant. Grouped Sprague-Dawley rats administered orally with single doses of this honey (300-1500 mg/kg) were observed critically for 24 h in an acute toxicity study. Cage-side observation, hematological profile, liver and kidney function tests, and body and organ weight monitoring were also carried out on grouped rats given 300-800 mg/kg of honey daily for 30 days in a sub-chronic toxicity test. Results indicated no physical, clinical signs and symptoms of toxicity, morbidity, and mortality after acute and prolonged administration of the honey. Subchronic toxicity studies revealed no significant changes (p>0.05) in body weight and organ weight (stomach, heart, and kidney), hematological parameters, liver and kidney function. There was however a dose-dependent increase (p ≤ 0.05-0.01) in aspartate transaminase, and significant increments in liver weight at all treatment doses. Histopathological studies of stomach, heart, kidney and liver showed normal architecture with no pathologies. Honey produced from Jatropha curcas flower nectar would be deemed safe for consumption as it did not show significant toxicity symptoms in Sprague-Dawley rats.