Trace and minor elements in four commercial honey brands

Abstract

Instrumental neutron activation analysis was used to measure the concentrations of 24 elements in four honey brands commercially available in Austin, Texas (USA). The measured elements (and concentration) were: As, (<30 ng/g); Ba, (<2 μg/g); Br, (0.24–0.49 μg/g); Ce, (<20 ng/g); Co, (9–180 ng/g); Cr, (37–64 ng/g); Cs, (<3–45 ng/g); Fe, (<4–15.9 μg/g); Hf, (<3 ng/g); Hg, (1 ng/g); K, (91–230 μg/g); La, (<4 ng/g); Na, (20.3–25.3 μg/g); Ni, (0.39–0.77 μg/g); Rb, (68–340 ng/g); Sb, (13–61 ng/g); Sc, (<0.3–200 ng/g); Se, (<20 ng/g); Sm, (<9 ng/g); Sr, (<2 ng/g); Th, (<4 ng/g); U, (<30 ng/g); Zn, (3.36–4.61 μg/g); and Zr, (<0.5–0.84 μg/g). The results obtained were compared to the concentration of the same elements in honey produced or commercially available in Turkey, Mexico, El-Salvador, China, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia.