Grayanotoxin Dose Calculator
Estimate the grayanotoxin (GTX I + III) dose in a serving of mad honey, see which risk band the honey falls in, and compare the dose to the EFSA reference point.
Total GTX in this serving
0.30 mg
300 µg
Risk band
Moderate
10 to 30 mg/kg
Dose vs EFSA reference point
28%
of the reference point for a 70 kg person
Risk band reference
| Band | Total GTX (I + III) | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Trace | under 1 mg/kg | Barely detectable. Not established as safe. |
| Low | 1 to 10 mg/kg | Detectable, at the low end of concentrations reported in real mad honey. |
| Moderate | 10 to 30 mg/kg | Mid-range of concentrations reported in real mad honey. |
| High | over 30 mg/kg | Upper range of reported values. Overlaps concentrations linked to acute intoxication in clinical reports. |
How the math works
Total GTX in a serving (mg) = concentration (mg/kg) / 1000 x serving (g)
EFSA reference point for a person (mg) = 0.0153 x body weight (kg)
Dose as % of reference point = total GTX in serving / EFSA reference point x 100
The reference point comes from the European Food Safety Authority (2023), which derived a BMDL10 of 15.3 micrograms per kilogram of body weight for the sum of GTX I and III. A reference point is a benchmark for assessing risk, not a threshold below which a dose is safe.
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More in this hub
Sources
- EFSA CONTAM Panel (2023). Risks for human health related to the presence of grayanotoxins in certain honey. EFSA Journal 2023;21(3):e07866. Reference point (BMDL10) of 15.3 micrograms per kilogram of body weight for the sum of GTX I and III. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2023.7866
- Ahn SY, Kim S, Cho H (2022). Determination of grayanotoxin I and grayanotoxin III in mad honey from Nepal using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Analytical Science and Technology 35(2), 82 to 91. GTX I measured at 0.75 to 64.86 mg/kg and GTX III at 0.25 to 63.99 mg/kg, with 33 of 60 samples positive.
