Agriculture & Food, Volume 12, 2024

Rezumat: The aim of this study was to determine the content of heavy metals, trace and macro elements in honeydew honey collected in Bulgaria. A total of 13 honey samples purchased from apiaries and hypermarkets were tested. The honey samples were prepared for analysis by digestion with nitric acid in a Mars 6 microwave system and analysed by ICP-OES. The Hg content of the samples was determined directly (without digestion) with a mercury analyser. Most of the honeydew honey on the market is genuine, with electrical conductivity values ranging from 0.8 to 1.4 mS/cm. Four of the samples tested were adulterated by mixing with nectar honey. Of the macroelements, the highest content was K (1074-1912 mg/kg), followed by Ca (93.7-192.5 mg/kg), Mg (74.5 -149.7 mg/kg), P (71.1-149.8 mg/kg), Na (41.8-130.8 mg/kg) and Al (0.12-5.8 mg/kg). Of the trace elements, Mn (7.3- 28.1 mg/kg) was the highest, followed by Fe (3.1-11.7 mg/kg), B (3.8-9.0 mg/kg), Zn (0.64-2.9 mg/kg), and Cu (0.56-1.15 mg/kg). Toxic metal contents were very low and ranged from 0.01 to 0.63 mg/kg for Pb, 0.15 to 0.39 mg/kg for As, and 0.03 to 5.86 ng/g for Hg. Variability was found in the elemental composition of the honeydew honey, the differences being due to the geographical origin of the honey. The content of toxic metals Pb, Cd, As and Hg in honeydew honey does not exceed the maximum permissible values (except for 2 samples for Pb), indicating minimal environmental contamination in the areas where the honeydew honey is produced. Bulgarian honey meets the requirements for a safe product for human consumption.