Determination of essential and toxic element in south and central italian honey samples by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

According to the definition set by the European Union Council Directive 2001/110/EC, “honey is the natural sweet substance produced by honey bees, Apis mellifera, from the nectar of plants (blossoms) or from the secretions of living parts of plants or excretions of plant sucking insects on the living parts of plants, which honey bees collect, transform by combining with specific substances of their own, deposit, dehydrate, store and leave in the honey comb to ripen and mature.” Honeybees are continuously exposed to potential pollutants present in widespread foraging areas, and the influence of industrial pollution on bee health has been widely documented (Leita, Muhlbachova,Cesco, Barbattini, & Mondini, 1996). This makes honey a matter of interest in food safety studies, particularly bearing in mind that the majority of consumers are children. Honey is composed mainly from carbohydrates (75%), lesser amounts of water and a great number of minor components. Minor constituents include enzymes, acids, essential and toxic metals and unidentified substances. Regarding metal contents, previous investigations have shown that their presence depend mainly on the botanical origin of honey, light blossom honeys having a lower content than dark honeys, e.g. honeydew, chestnut and heather (Gonzalez-Miret et al. 2005). In order to assure food safety, honey should have a low content of undesirable contaminants (Frazzoli, D'Ilio, & Bocca, 2007). Inductively coupled plasma-based techniques (ICP-AES and ICP-MS) have been applied as multi-elemental techniques for the determination of heavy metals in honey and other sweeteners (Frazzoli, D'Ilio, & Bocca, 2007). These techniques enabled the determination of heavy metals and trace elements in honey owing to their wide range linearity, superior sensitivity and high efficiency. The aims of this study were the identification and quantification of toxic and essential elements in 70 honey samples collected from 10 different provinces of Central and South Italy. The content level of 24 elements (Hg, Tl, Pb, Cd, Cr, U, Ti, Ba, Sb, Al, As, V, Ge, Sn, Be, Sr, Ca, Fe, Mn, Co, Zn, Cu, Se, Mo) were determined using Microwave Assisted Extraction coupled with Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (MAE-ICP-MS). Results demonstrated that although samples are not completely contaminant free, heavy metal intake from honey is well below the recommended dose. Furthermore, chemometric methods highlighted differences among honeys depending from their geographical and botanical origins.