Characteristics of Honey from Serpentine Area in the Eastern Rhodopes Mt., Bulgaria

Abstract

Honey samples collected during 2007-2010 from serpentine and non-serpentine localities in the Eastern Rhodopes Mt. (Bulgaria) were characterized on the basis of their pollen content by qualitative melissopalynological analysis and physicochemical composition. Water content, pH, electrical conductivity, macroelements-K, Ca, Mg, P, and microelements-As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, and Zn were determined after the Harmonised Methods of the International Honey Commission and ICP-AES method. The results from serpentine honey samples were compared with data from bee pollen collected from the same serpentine area. Different elements have different concentrations in honey from the same botanical type even collected from the same geographical region, same locality, and same beehive but in different vegetation season. The elements Mg, Mn, Ni, and P contribute mostly for separation of the serpentine honey samples based on measured elemental concentrations and performed principal component analysis. The element concentrations were higher in bee pollen and above the permissible limits for the toxic metals Cd and Pb. No specific indicator plant species was found for identification of the geographical origin of serpentine honey in relation to the forage of bees.

Analyses of Mineral Content and Heavy Metal of Honey Samples from South and East Region of Turkey by Using ICP-MS

“…The K levels variate over a range within 1.18-268 ppm. In accordance with our data, higher amounts of K in honey samples were previously reported in Eastern Slovakia [8], Serpentin Area in the Eastern Rhodopes Mt., Bulgaria [14], Argentine [5] and Hungarian honeys [10]. …”

“…The physical and chemical quality of honey are influenced by its geographical origin and environmental factors [14]. Honeybees are permanently exposed to the influence of industrial pollutants through the air, soil, and water [1, 12] so some researchers highlighted the possibility of honey as a biomarker [1].…”

Honey authenticity: analytical techniques, state of the art and challenges

“… 108 Vegetation season is also important as different elements have different concentrations in honey from the same botanical type even when collected from the same geographical region, same locality, and same beehive. 109 Environmental factors and climatic conditions also affect the elemental content. 110 The metal presence in honey can also be due to anthropogenic activities, e.g.…”

Physicochemical characteristics and mineral status of honey from different agro-climatic zones of Himachal Pradesh, India

“…Various biotic and abiotic factors around the apiary, i.e. floral sources, climatic conditions, soil quality, beekeeper activities (Bogdanov et al, 2007;Atanassova et al, 2016), and geographical variations affect the honey composition (kavanagh et al, 2019) Honeybees are permanently exposed to industrial pollutants and pesticides. Pesticide residues in raw honeys are an indicator of environmental pollution (Kumar et al, 2018a), and the possibility of using honey as a biomarker has been highlighted (Oroian et al, 2016).…”