Metals In Honey Research Articles

Metals in honey, cow’s milk and eggs in North-East Algeria and health risk

ABSTRACT Metal contamination of foodstuffs is a major public health challenge of increasing concern. The present study aimed to determine lead, cadmium and mercury in honey, cow’s milk and poultry eggs collected from the North-Eastern region of Algeria and to evaluate the health risks associated with their regular consumption. To this aim 30 samples of each foodstuff were analysed using ICP-MS. Among the quantified heavy metals, Pb was found at the highest level in both honey (0.752 ± 0.16 µg g−1) and poultry egg (0.988 ± 0.19 µg g−1) in the region of Skikda. The highest values of Cd (0.798 ± 0.12 µg g−1) and Hg (0.097 ± 0.02 µg g−1) were found in poultry eggs collected from the same region. For infants the Hazard Index was well above 1 in honey samples from all three locations, in cow’s milk collected from Mila and Skikda and in poultry eggs collected from Skikda.

Metals in Honey from Bees as a Proxy of Environmental Contamination in the United States

This is the first large bio-surveillance study examining the contents and geographic variation of metals of public health concern—arsenic (As), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), and cobalt (Co)—in honey samples collected across the United States. Metal concentrations were measured using ICP-MS, and the spatial distribution pattern of these contaminants was evaluated using statistical and GIS tools. The mean (highest) values (in μg/kg) were 3.8 (170) for As, 8.0 (451) for Pb, and 0.75 (8.1) for Cd. These values, as well as the mean (highest) concentrations of 29.5 (516) for Ni, 14.3 (166) for Co, and 19.6 (11) for Cr, were markedly lower than global averages reported in other countries. The study identified distinct geographic patterns of honey contamination; particularly high As levels were found in northwestern states, while high Co was measured in the southeast. Health risk calculations based on the hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI) were below 1 for a daily tablespoon (21g) of honey consumption, indicating no adverse health concerns for children and adults, and all samples fell below the 1.0x10-6 threshold for carcinogenic risk. The variation in metal concentrations found in samples from different states may reflect the influence of air, water, or soil pollution, as well as differential accumulation across plant species, and the distinct geographic clustering of As and Co warrants further investigation to determine the sources of these metals and to assess public health risks, particularly for As, a well-known carcinogen. In sum, this initial study provides baseline values of metal concentrations in honey that can be useful for monitoring future pollution trends, identifying target areas where reductions of emissions or remediation efforts are most critical, and facilitating discovery research in environmental exposure and health sciences.

Honey Bee Products as Bio Indicator of Heavy Metals Pollution and Health Risk Assessment Through the Consumption of Multifloral Honey Collected in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan.

The study assessed the health risks associated with heavy metal ingestion and explored the use of honey bee products as a bio-indicator for heavy metal pollution. All honey bee products tested showed heavy metals, but some honey samples had concentrations exceeding permissible limits for Cd, Pb, Ni, and Cr. The mean concentrations of heavy metals (mg/kg) in the honey, propolis, bee wax, and bee pollen were Fe (1.32) > Zn (1.31) > Pb (0.46) > Ni (0.18) > Cr (0.16) > Cu (0.14) > Co (0.12) > Mn (0.05) > Cd (0.03), Fe (8) > Zn (1.13) > Mn (0.59) > Pb (0.13) > Ni (0.07) > Cu (0.06) > Co (0.05) > Cr (0.03) > Cd (0.02), Fe (1.31) > Pb (0.41) > Ni (0.407) > Zn(0.25) > Mn (0.12) > Co(0.10) > Cu (0.07) > Cr (0.05) > Cd (0.002), and Fe (2.2) > Zn (0.75) > Ni (0.25) > Pb (0.16) > Cu (0.05) > Mn (0.045) > Co (0.04) > Cr (0.01) > Cd(0.002), respectively. Similarly, the mean concentration of heavy metals (mg/kg) in the soil, flowers and pine pollen was Fe (539.08) > Zn (89.53) > Mn (66.91) > Ni (58.5) > Co (19.2) > Cr (11.42) > Pb (6.58) > Cu (5.71) > Cd (0.19), Fe (3.12) > Zn (0.95) > Mn (0.72) > Ni (0.29) > Cu (0.16) > Cr (0.14) > Pb (0.059) > Co (0.057) > Cd (0.003) and Fe (2.59) > Zn (1.75) > Mn (0.43) > Pb (0.34) > Co (0.1) > Cr (0.07) > Cu (0.06) > Cd (0.039) > Ni (0.03), respectively. The atomic absorption spectrophotometry procedure was validated through a recovery study and achieved accuracy through the limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ). The mean Bio concentration factor (BCF) indicated that the transfer from soil to honey was higher than from soil to flower. The metal pollution index (MPI) of the selected indicators was in descending order: soil > honey > flowers > propolis > pine pollen > beeswax > bee pollen. The hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI) were below one, showing no chronic health risk. The carcinogenic risk (CR) of Cd, Cr, and Ni in honey for children, male and female adults for the consumers exceeds the acceptable level, making Cd, Cr, and Ni the most concerning heavy metals in honey. The study suggests that regular monitoring of heavy metal pollution is essential.

Distribution, pollution status of metals and human health risk evaluation in honey: Chemometric approach

Ethiopia is one of the top honey-producing countries in Africa, with a diversity of floral sources for bees supported by different ecosystems. Studying the levels of metals in honey is essential for ensuring the quality and safety of honey and managing environmental contamination, which ultimately contributes to the well-being of both individuals and communities. Thus, this study was designed to determine the concentration of Cr, Mn, Zn, Ni, Fe, Cu, Co, Cd and Pb in bee honey and stingless bee honey using a flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer (FAAS) after being digested with a mixture of 1 mL of HNO3 and 4 mL of HClO4.The contents of trace metals (mg/kg) for Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Cd were varied from 0.5 to 1.33, 0.04–0.1, 0.83–1.74, BDL–0.60, 0.35–0.60, 0.020–0.12, 0.35–0.69, and BDL-0.32 in bee honey and 0.5–1.02, 0.03–0.11, 0.59–1.86, 0.17–0.35, 0.35–0.78, 0.038–0.13, and 0.32–0.44 in stingless bee honey, respectively. It was found that Cd and Pb in both bee and stingless bee honey were below the detection limit. For adults, the target hazard quotient (THQ) and hazard index (HI) values were found to be below 1, which indicates a lower level of noncarcinogenic risk due to honey consumption. The carcinogenic risks for all samples were lower than the maximum tolerable range. Multivariate analyses, including principal component and cluster analysis, were applied to assist in the analysis of metallic data, and confirmed the association between metals in samples. Therefore, the consumption of honey in the study areas does not cause any carcinogenic or non-carcinogenic health risks to the local population.

Assessing the effects of geographical origin and production practices on the levels of heavy metals in honey from three regions in Ghana

ABSTRACT To evaluate the impact of production methods and geographical origin on honey quality, honey from three regions in Ghana was analysed using INAA and FAAS for the presence of some selected metals. Five metals were found in all the ninety samples as Mg (321.1 mg/kg), Cu (56.2 mg/kg), V (8.18 mg/kg), Fe (3.28 mg/kg), and Pb (0.0400 mg/kg). Co and Cr were detected in 12% and 45% of the samples respectively but As, Cd, and Hg were not detected. The concentrations of Pb varied significantly based on production practices. Cu, Mg, and V showed differences based on geographical sources, according to the Kruskal Wallis test at p < 0.05. Co was below the WHO levels for drinking water and Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg and V were above the WHO levels. Ultimately, the honey source, as opposed to production practices, affected the metal content and potentially, honey consumption can have health risks.

Quality Analysis and Elemental Presence of Heavy Metals in Honey

Honey is a naturally occurring material made by honeybees from the sweet, savory nectar of flowers. Humans have consumed honey for a very long time, making it the oldest sweetener and health food. Honey was mentioned in Egyptian, Indian, and Chinese texts as early as 5500 BC. It is renowned for its therapeutic and nutritional properties brought on by beneficial elements that are strongly connected to its flower origin. Although the basic variation in honey composition is due to the floral source, other elements such as the season, the environment, and the processing conditions also have a role. The sensory, chemical, physical, and microbiological properties of honey are mostly linked to its quality. Honey should indicate the minimum quality standards to be marketed as honey or employed as an ingredient in products for human consumption. Physico-chemical characteristics including pH, water content, ash content, HMF and EC parameters were analyzed which showed that Pakistani honey is under the limits. Additionally, the limited presence of heavy metals was also seen within the range. Pakistani honey is one of the best honeys to be used for raw consumption as well as raw material for any value-added products.

Content of proline and heavy metals in beekeeping prod ucts of different agro-ecological conditions of Ukraine

The production of beekeeping plays a crucial role in the population's nutrition. Bees yield valuable dietary products, such as honey, and provide raw materials for the food industry, such as beeswax. In addition to these primary products, bees produce royal jelly, flower pollen, propolis, homogenate of drone larvae, and bee venom. In regions with advanced agriculture, bees are utilized to pollinate entomophilous crops. Bee pollination enhances plants' similarity and yield, improving agricultural product quality. Honey-producing bees consume pollen, with flower pollen from nectariferous plants serving as the raw material, followed by bee bread, which is brought into the hive. However, the agroclimatic conditions in various regions of Ukraine only sometimes provide sufficient diversity of nectariferous plants to adequately meet the protein and mineral nutrition needs of bees. Minerals in animal organisms perform crucial functions, providing structural integrity to the skeleton and constituting essential components of organic compounds, vitamins, and enzymatic systems. In contemporary animal production, heavy metals threaten the health of both humans and animals. According to established norms, many of these metals are vital elements that must be included in the animal diet. Inadequate or excessive levels of these elements in the animal body can lead to the inactivation of enzymatic systems, impaired reproduction, decreased productivity, and reduced product quality. Heavy metals, especially mercury, lead, chromium, and nickel, are more dangerous toxins in living organisms at elevated concentrations. The chemical composition of living organisms and their impact on geochemical processes varies. To ensure normal vitality and the production of high-quality animal products, animals must be provided with a balanced diet and an optimal content of minerals that contribute to increased productivity and production efficiency. Therefore, studying the content of heavy metals such as iron, copper, zinc, lead, cobalt, and cadmium in honey obtained under different agroecological conditions in Ukraine is of significant economic importance. The research results indicate that the content of heavy metals in honey from the Western region, except iron and zinc, was higher than in the Southern region. Specifically, for copper, this advantage amounted to 86.725 mg/kg or 1.4 times, for lead – 50.203 mg/kg or 2.8 times, for cobalt – 57.865 mg/kg or 24.2 times, and for cadmium – 4.663 mg/kg or 2.7 times. Honey from the Southern region had a higher iron content of 0.237 mg/kg or 1.1 times, and zinc by 4.412 mg/kg or 5.5 times compared to honey from the Western region. Based on the obtained data, it is established that honey from the Western region has a higher content of heavy metals than honey from the Southern region, indicating more significant contamination of nectariferous plants in the Western region.

Evaluation of the generation of reactive oxygen species and antibacterial activity of honey as a function of its phenolic and mineral composition.

The antibacterial activity (ABA) of honey is associated with the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), where polyphenols (PFs) play a key role due to their pro-oxidant action modulated by metallic cations. In this work, the contents of PFs, H2O2, OH radicals, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, and ABA against Staphylococcus epidermidis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were determined in honeys from central Chile. Then, their relationships were evaluated through partial least squares regression. The average contents of phenolic acids, flavonoids and metals in honey ranged from 0.4 to 4μg/g, 0.3-1.5μg/g and 3-6μg/g, respectively. All honeys showed accumulation of H2O2 (1-35μg/g) and OH radicals. The PLS showed that gallic acid, p-coumaric acid, chrysin, kaempferol, Fe, and Mn stimulate the generation of ROS. Quercetin, Cu, and Zn showed marginal antioxidant effects. PFs favor the ABA of honey against both bacteria and H2O2 against S. epidermidis.

Heavy metals in honey and poultry eggs as indicators of environmental pollution and potential risks to human health

Heavy metals in honey and poultry eggs as indicators of environmental pollution and potential risks to human health

Mapping Chemical Hazards in Animal Food Origin Product for Food Safety Teaching Materials

Animal origin food product is quite vulnerable to the threat of chemical hazards. Mapping potential chemical hazards is needed to establish good and safe food handling methods. In addition, the mapping can be used as the basis for the preparation of food safety teaching materials that have not been available so far. The purpose of this study is to map various potential chemical hazards in food of animal origin food product to be used as teaching materials for food safety. This research is included as a literature study by collecting various types of scientific references that outline potential chemical hazards that can threaten animal origin food product. The results showed potential chemical hazards in the form of antibiotic residues in beef, chicken, and eggs; excess nitrates and nitrites in beef; scombrotoxin in cob fish; pesticides and heavy metals in honey; and formalin and borax in chicken meat and fish. The results of mapping the potential chemical hazards of animal origin food product can then be used to compile food safety teaching materials

New method for risk assessment in environmental health: The paradigm of heavy metals in honey

The release of heavy metals into the natural environment creates problems due to their persistence. They can accumulate in the food chain presenting a dangerous sign for ecosystems and human health. The metals in honey could be of agrochemical or industrial origin. Regular consumption of honey and bee products contaminated with various pollutants in high concentrations can cause serious health problems due accumulation of toxic substances in the body. In the current study, we aimed to determine the concentrations of chromium, cadmium, zinc, copper, lead and nickel in four types of honey (linden, acacia, rapeseed and polyfloral honey) and soil collected from three regions with different degrees of pollution. For the risk characterization, we used a new methodology that calculated the corrected estimated daily intake and the source hazard quotient for each metal and the adversity-specific hazard index. There was a strong influence of the degree of environmental pollution on the level of contaminants in the honey samples. In the case of a single chemical assessment, an HQ above 10 was obtained for Cd in linden, rapeseed and polyfloral honey from area 1 and an HQ above 1 was obtained for Cd in the other honey samples from the 3 areas, for Cu in all honey samples from all the 3 areas, for Pb in linden, rapeseed and polyfloral honey from area 1 and for Cr in linden honey for area 2. HIA calculated as a sum of all HQS of heavy metals in food reveals an increase and moderate risk for nephrotoxicity, bone demineralisation, cardiotoxicity, developmental toxicity, small decrease in body weight or body weight gain after consumption of honey impurified with heavy metals. A strict monitorization of heavy metals in honey samples from farmers should be done in order to protect the consumers.

Trace Elements and Heavy Metal Contents in West Algerian Natural Honey.

Analysis of trace elements and heavy metals in honey is essential for honey quality and safety and also monitoring environmental pollution. This study aimed to evaluate the composition of thirty-seven honey samples of different botanical origins (14 multifloral and 23 unifloral) obtained from beekeepers located in the west region of Algeria. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) methods were used to determine the levels of 19 elements in honey (K, Na, Ca, Mg, Mn, Cu, Fe, Zn, V, Cr, Co, As, Ru, Rh, Cd, W, Pt, Au, and Pb). Ru, Rh, Pt and, Au were not detected in any of the tested honey samples. The most abundant minerals were K, Ca, Na, and Mg ranging within 153.00-989.00 mg/kg, 33.10-502.00 mg/kg, 13.30-281.00 mg/kg, and 20.80-162.00 mg/kg, respectively. Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu were the most abundant heavy metals while Pb, V, Cr, W, Co, and Cd were the lowest ones (<1 mg/kg) in the honey samples surveyed. Several honey types, lavender, rosemary, mild white mustard, thyme, milk thistle, carob tree, orange tree, Euphorbia, Eucalyptus, camphor, jujube tree, sage, and harmal, were studied, and the statistical analysis was carried out using principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) techniques to evaluate the data. The results showed that the analyses of mineral content were sufficient to determine the floral origin and their variability may be related to geochemical and geographical differences. On other hand, all elements detected were at levels below safe thresholds.

Development of salt-induced homogenous liquid-liquid extraction based on ternary deep eutectic solvent coupled with dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction for the determination of heavy metals in honey

In this work, a homogenous liquid–liquid extraction method was combined with dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction and utilized for the extraction of Co, Zn, Ni, Cu, Pb, and Tl from honey samples before their determination by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. For this purpose, firstly, diluted honey solution was transferred into a glass test tube and mixed with a few milliliters of a mixture of n-butanol and choline chloride: menthol: p-aminophenol deep eutectic solvent. A homogenous solution was obtained. After that an appropriate amount of sodium chloride was added into the solution and sonicated for 6 min. During this step, the homogenous solution was broken and the mixture of n-butanol and the deep eutectic solvent mixture was collected on top of the solution. The supernatant phase was removed and quickly injected into deionized water. After centrifugation, the collected phase at the bottom of the tube was injected into the determination system. Under the optimum situations, low limits of detection (0.24–0.74 ng g–1) and quantification (0.79–2.46 ng g–1), high extraction recoveries (80–92%), and good repeatability (relative standard deviations equal to or less than 3.6% and 3.9% for intra– and inter-day precisions, respectively) were acquired. Finally, the offered method was employed for determination of the studied heavy metals in various honey samples marketed in Tabriz city, Iran.

Levels and health risk assessment of trace metals in honey from different districts of Bench Sheko Zone, Southwest Ethiopia

This study aimed to determine the levels and potential health risks posed by trace metals (Zn, Cu, Mn, Cd, Cr, and Pb) obtained in honey samples. The honey samples were from Sheko, Guraferda, Mizan Aman Town, Debub Bench, and Semien Bench in Bench Sheko Zone, Southern Ethiopia, and levels of trace metals were determined using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). The levels of trace metals in honey samples across the provinces ranged as follows; Zn (1.78–4.02 mg/kg), Cu(1.85–2.35 mg/kg), Mn (0.75–1.25 mg/kg), Cd (0.011–0.038 mg/kg), Cr (0.25–0.55 mg/kg), respectively. The level of Pb was not detected in all honey samples. The levels of trace metals obtained were lower than the maximum permissible limit set by WHO/FAO. Limit of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were ranged from 0.00045 to 0.005 and 0.0015 to 0.016, for the tested metals, respectively. The estimated recoveries of the method were ranged from 92.66% to 103.00% showed a good agreement of accuracy. The EDI values (mg/kg) of the investigated trace metals in all honey samples were less than the maximum tolerable daily intake (MTDI). The values of the target hazard quotient (THQ) and the hazard index (HI) were less than unity. The target cancer risk (TCR) values of Cd in all honey samples showed the lowest carcinogenic risks with values ranged from 3.34E-07 to 1.27E-06. However, the TCR value of Cr in all honey samples ranged from 1.03E-05 to 2.43E-05 and was in the moderate range. The ∑TCR value of Cd and Cr ranged from 1.15E-05 to 2.37E-05 and 1.23E-05 to 2.55E-05 for male and female adults, respectively, and were found in the moderate range. Therefore, there was no serious non-carcinogenic and carcenogenic risks to human health from exposure to trace metals through the consumption of this honey.

Heavy Metals in Honey Collected from Contaminated Locations: A Case of Lithuania

Honey, as a bioindicator, can be used to determine the level of pollution in the environment with selected pollutants, including heavy metals. Twelve locations were selected for experimental studies near the main sources of pollution: industrial sites, landfills, railways, and highways. The honey samples were burned to ash, and the heavy metals in ashes were determined using aqua regia digestion in the microwave digestion system. The concentration of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Ni) was determined using a Buck Scientific model 210 VGP atomic absorption spectrophotometer with a graphite furnace atomizer and an acetylene-air flame. These median amounts of heavy metals were found in the analyzed honey samples: 0.0030 mg/kg for Cd, 0.0179 mg/kg for Pb, 0.0317 mg/kg for Cr, 0.0999 mg/kg for Cu, and 0.0332 mg/kg for Ni. The obtained results were compared with honey samples research conducted in other countries. It is difficult to compare the level of heavy metal results found in honey from different countries, as the type of honey, soil composition, rainfall, air temperature, the plants from which it was harvested, its vegetation and flowering duration, and the degree of anthropogenic pollution in the area differ. The heavy metal content tested in honey was found to be low, except for the Pb content in one sample of honey, and did not pose a risk to human health. A statistical analysis including average, median, standard deviation, confidence intervals, and Spearman coefficients was performed for the evaluation of the relationships between the heavy metal quantities and the determination of the impact of pollution sources (transport and industry). The correlation analysis showed a strong negative correlation coefficient between heavy metals and distance (r = −0.593 to −0.204).

Metals Contents in Honey, Beeswax and Bees and Human Health Risk Assessment Due to Consumption of Honey: A Case Study from Selected Districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

Beeswax, honey, and live in-hive worker bees were collected in this study from eight districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The concentration of seven essential elements (copper, calcium, zinc, iron, nickel, chromium and manganese) and two non-essentials (lead and cadmium) were determined. All of the samples were found to have a random distribution of metal concentrations. The plentiful metals with high concentrations in the gathered samples were discovered to be calcium, iron, and zinc. The health concerns related with metal intake in honey were assessed using the Average Daily Dose (ADD), Hazard Quotients (HQs) and Hazard Index (HI) models. Children were found to have higher estimated health risk values for the components assessed in all samples than adults. All of the computed ADD values were lower than the matching reference (RfD) values. The matching HI values of metals in various honeys were found to be less than one, implying that honey consumption in the studied area has no non carcinogenic risk. Cancer risks (CR) was also calculated for intake of Pb, Cr, Ni and Cd in honey in the selected districts. The CR values for Cr and Cd exceeded 1E-4 in various districts such as Karak, Kohat, Nowshera, Bajur, Dir Upper, and Mohmand Agency, signifying that there was a small danger involved. In the case of Karak, the Ni CR value was greater than the allowed limits. As a result, it is important to keep an eye on the concentration of these metals in honey because anthropogenic input could raise their concentration in the future, posing a health danger.

Assessment of essential minerals and toxic trace metals in blended raw honey, soil, leaf and flower samples harvested from different locations of Kannad Taluka of Aurangabad District

The concentrations of eight essential minerals Ca, Cr, Co Cu, Fe, Mn, Ag, Zn and five toxic trace metals As, Cd, Pb, Hg and Ni were determined in blended raw honey, soil, leaf and flowers harvested from different locations of Kannad taluka. Result reveals that all honey samples from the agricultural and roadside area were contaminated with toxic trace metals. The honey samples harvested from forest areas have no or lower concentrations of toxic trace metals than the permissible limits set by Indian standards (2010). The concentrations of these metals in honey samples investigated do not pose any serious concern to human health except for honey harvested from the roadside area. Hence, the honey produced from Kannad taluka can be considered nutritionally safe and represents good quality. The present data also indicate that the levels of toxic trace metals in honey are comparatively more in roadway areas than in agricultural and forest areas. The essential minerals in soil, leaf and flower samples are comparatively more in agricultural areas than roadway and forest areas. The toxic trace metals are more on roadway sides than in agricultural and forest areas.

PERFIL DE ELEMENTOS INORGÂNICOS EM AMOSTRAS DE MEL DO ESTADO DO MARANHÃO COMO UM POTENCIAL BIOINDICADOR DE ORIGEM GEOGRÁFICA

PROFILE OF INORGANIC ELEMENTS IN HONEY SAMPLES FROM THE MARANHÃO STATE AS A BIOINDICATOR OF GEOGRAPHICAL ORIGIN. Honey is a substance that contains a variety of macro and micro minerals present in the range between 0.02-1.03%. The main objective of this study was to determine the concentration of elements inorganic in 15 honey samples collected in various regions of Maranhão (Northeast Brazil), using highly sensitive analytical techniques, such as inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), in addition to applying multivariate statistical tools, such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) in the treatment of data. The method presented detection limits between 0.4 to 2.8 mg kg-1. Fifteen samples and 19 metals were analyzed, and two of these samples had high levels of lead, exceeding the limits allowed by Brazilian legislation. Thus, it can be concluded that the presence of potentially toxic metals in honey is an indication that the production areas may be contaminated by different external sources. The chemometric analysis of the data by PCA and HCA allowed to classify honey in two main groups: honey produced in urban areas and honey produced in rural areas with PCA explaining 73% of the data variance with the sum of the first 3 components.

Barevnost a obsah některých kovů v medu

The paper highlights the correlations between the results of instrumental colour measurement and the content of certain metals in kinds of honey. Sufficiently close correlations may lead to the development of procedures for the rapid determination of the content of these metals in honey by colour measurement without the need for more demanding sample preparation.

Determination of Heavy and Trace Metals in Honey Using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) in South Eastern Zone of Tigray Region, Northern Ethiopia

The present study aimed to determine concentration of heavy and trace metals (Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, Co, Cd, Pb, As, and Hg) in honey by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Samples passed through wet digestion methods following the optimum digestion condition by applying the reagents (30mL HNO3:30mL H2O2) at temperature of 270°C for 3 hours. The average concentrations of the metals are found in the range of 5.32-28.6 mg/kg for Fe, 0.24-0.749mg/kg for Cu, 0.627-4.401mg/kg Zn, 0.41-3.15mg/kg for Mn, 0.08-0.112 mg/kg for Co, 0.25-0.325mg/kg for Pb, 0.24-0.46mg/kg for As, ND-0.031mg/kg for Hg and 0.02-0.03mg/kg for Cd. This study shows that the honey in the studied area is a good sources of essential metals (Fe, Cu, Mn, Co and Zn) as they are found to be in the permissible limit. Moreover, the maximum concentration of the toxic metals determined in this work are below the level of toxicity as per the standard set by WHO/FAO.