Determination of the Ca, Mn, Mg and Fe in honey from multiple species of stingless bee produced in Brazil

Stingless Bees (SB) honey is a product used for different purposes, and it is worth highlighting the presence of metallic species, which can have a nutritional or toxic effect, depending on the metal present and/or the amount ingested. Therefore, the objective of this work was to quickly determine Fe, Mn, Mg and Ca in SB honey, using slurry sampling and FAAS of 88 honey samples from different regions of Brazil. The concentrations varied from LOD to 364 mu g g(-1) (Ca). The order for average concentration in the samples was Ca Mg > Mn > Fe. Through the principal component analysis, it was verified that the SB honey analyzed in the present study has higher contents of the evaluated metals than the honey of the species Apis mellifera and SB honey from other Brazilian states. Theoretical calculation demonstrated that there is a little contribution of SB honey to human diet in relation to the metals, being more significative for Mn.

Automated summary

The study analyzed the metallic element content in stingless bee honey from different regions in Brazil, showing varying concentrations of Fe, Mn, Mg, and Ca. Overall, stingless bee honey has higher levels of metallic elements compared to other types of honey, with a relatively small contribution to human diet in terms of these elements.