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Comparative Study
. 2014:2014:359890.
doi: 10.1155/2014/359890. Epub 2014 Jun 1.

Determination of mineral, trace element, and pesticide levels in honey samples originating from different regions of Malaysia compared to manuka honey

Mohammed Moniruzzaman  1 , Muhammed Alamgir Zaman Chowdhury  2 , Mohammad Abdur Rahman  2 , Siti Amrah Sulaiman  1 , Siew Hua Gan  3
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Determination of mineral, trace element, and pesticide levels in honey samples originating from different regions of Malaysia compared to manuka honey

Mohammed Moniruzzaman et al. Biomed Res Int. 2014.

Abstract

The present study was undertaken to determine the content of six minerals, five trace elements, and ten pesticide residues in honeys originating from different regions of Malaysia. Calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn) were analyzed by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS), while sodium (Na) and potassium (K) were analyzed by flame emission spectrometry (FAES). Trace elements such as arsenic (As), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), and cobalt (Co) were analyzed by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) following the microwave digestion of honey. High mineral contents were observed in the investigated honeys with K, Na, Ca, and Fe being the most abundant elements (mean concentrations of 1349.34, 236.80, 183.67, and 162.31 mg/kg, resp.). The concentrations of the trace elements were within the recommended limits, indicating that the honeys were of good quality. Principal component analysis reveals good discrimination between the different honey samples. The pesticide analysis for the presence of organophosphorus and carbamates was performed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). No pesticide residues were detected in any of the investigated honey samples, indicating that the honeys were pure. Our study reveals that Malaysian honeys are rich sources of minerals with trace elements present within permissible limits and that they are free from pesticide contamination.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Sample collection site.
Figure 2
Figure 2
TDS and EC values of different types of Malaysian honeys. The means are compared using one-way ANOVA post hoc with multiple comparisons. In each column, the values with different letters indicate significant differences (P < 0.05).
Figure 3
Figure 3
PCA analysis for different types of Malaysian honeys.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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