1Central Agricultural Pesticides Laboratory, Plant Protection Research Institute, Agricultural Research Centre, Dokki, Giza, Egypt
2Plant Protection Research Institute, Agricultural Research Centre, Dokki, Giza, Egypt
*Corresponding author: aymansmhassan@gmail.com
Online published on 18 September, 2015.
The analyses of 44 samples of honey, produced in China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Italy, Kuwait, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine, and USA during 2012–2013, were carried out to detect the levels of essential and toxic metal elements (arsenic, cadmium, copper, iron, mercury, lead, selenium and zinc) using Solar M Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. Arsenic, mercury and selenium were determined by hydride generation technique.
Determination of the other elements was done using flame AAS. The recovery of the found results ranged between 96–103 per cent. The levels of concentrations of these metals in the honey samples of the selected countries were within the allowed limits except the honey groups of Kuwait which violated the maximum allowed zinc limits. All collected samples were free from any detectable lead.
Heavy metals, Honey, Honey analysis, Metal elements, Pollutants
