Levels of Chromium, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Selenium, Zinc, Cadmium, Lead and Aluminium of honey varieties produced in Turkey

Abstract Honey is a natural animal product. The elemental composition of honey varies greatly depending on the source of nectar, honeydew, pollen and environmental conditions. The aim of the present study was to determine the levels of chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), selenium (Se), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and aluminium (Al) in a total of 65 honey samples procured from different regions of Turkey. Element levels were measured by using an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrophotometer (ICP-OES). Minimum and maximum levels of the elements, indicated as µg/g wet weight were as follows: Cr: 0.126-7.964, Cu: 0.223-198.361, Fe: 3.506-1278.778, Mg: 5.830-309.783, Mn: 0.096-29.496, Se: 0.418-19.879, Zn: 1.734-245.205, Cd: 0.000-0.297, Pb: 0.000-3.035, Al: 0.775-155.585.