The content of heavy metals in honey as indicators of pollutants

Abstract

Honey and honeydew are natural foods with a very complex composition that contain both, organic and inorganic ingredients. Regardless of the progress of the industry, it can't be replaced by some production process.

The quality of honey varies from year to year, and bees can never produce the same honey and honeydew. Weather conditions, grazing, treatment of bees, proximity to industry, roads, etc., greatly affect the quality of the obtained honey. Although minerals and heavy metals are minor constituents of honey, they play a vital role in determining its quality.

The goal of the research is to assess the qualitative status of honey based on the content of contaminants, heavy metals from the area of the Tuzla Canton. The research was conducted on 30 (thirty) honey samples. The samples were collected in the period September/October 2022 and constitute the grazing of the specified year.

In the samples that were the subject of research, As and Cd did not exceed the limit of quantification (LOQ = 0.009 mg/kg). Current regulations does not define MRL’s for these two metals. As for the quantified amount of lead (Pb), it was the same in 12 samples and in 11 samples there was an evident deviation from the MRL. The measured lead (Pb), values range from 0.06 to 5.34 mg/kg.

The quality of bee products from the aspect of contamination with heavy metals can serve as bioindicator of environmental pollution, that is, as an indicator of the level of good beekeeping practices.