Determination of macro and trace element levels in honey from the lower amazonian region, Brazil

Abstract

The aim of this study was to quantify the macro and trace element concentrations in Apis mellifera and Melipona interrupta honey samples from the Lower Amazonian region in order to evaluate if the samples of different geographical origin and/or species could be distinguished by their mineral content. In addition, it was evaluated the presence of potentially toxic metals in honey samples. The metal contents were determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES) and the most abundant metals found in the samples were K, Ca, Mg, and Na. The total metal (K, Ca, Mg, Na, Cd, Co, Ni, Fe, Mn, Cr, Al and Ba) concentration ranged from 127.7 ± 1.4 to 1844.4 ± 45.2 µg g-1 and from 102.7 ± 2.0 to 639.0 ± 15.3 µg g-1 in Apis mellifera and Melipona interrupta honey, respectively. All mineral content levels found in the honey samples were lower than the maximum established by Brazilian and international law (Cd and Cr 0.1 μg g-1, Pb 0.30 μg g-1, Ni 5 μg g-1, Cu 10 μg g-1, Zn 50 μg g-1). Furthermore, Cu, Pb, and Zn were not detected in any of the samples. However, potentially toxic elements, such as Cd, Co, and Ni, were detected in most of the commercial samples and in Apis mellifera honey from beehives that were close to livestock fields and/or soybean areas. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was used to study the mineral contents and it was possible to distinguish eight different groups of honey. However, the Melipona interrupta honey could not be separated into different groups.