Aburas et al. 2023 - Libyan honey lead and cadmium
Aburas et al. measured lead and cadmium plus basic physicochemical properties in several Libyan honey types. The source is direct honey occurrence evidence for Pb and Cd because it reports honey-sample concentrations in ppm using atomic absorption spectroscopy. The clearest food-safety signal was lead in the tamarisk/athel honey sample, which the authors describe as elevated relative to the cited European honey limit.
Key numbers
Table 4 and Figure 4 report heavy-metal concentrations in ppm, equivalent to mg/kg for honey.
| Honey sample | Pb (ppm) | Cd (ppm) |
|---|---|---|
| Thyme honey | 0.65 | 0.020 |
| Tamarisk/athel honey | 1.55 | 0.004 |
| Sidr honey | 0.41 | 0.004 |
| Sugar-solution honey | 0.37 | 0.002 |
| Black honey | 0.30 | 0.015 |
The paper reports pH values from 3.29 to 4.36, ash content from 0.4% to 0.6%, and electrical conductivity from 0.79 to 10.6 ms/cm. The authors state that cadmium concentrations did not exceed the cited European specification, while lead in the tamarisk/athel honey sample reached 1.55 ppm and exceeded the cited 1 ppm limit.
Methods (brief)
The study examined local Libyan honey samples identified as sidr, thyme, tamarisk/athel, black honey, and honey made from sugar solution. Lead and cadmium were measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The paper also measured pH, ash, and electrical conductivity and compared the results with local and international specifications.
Implications
Certification: This is routeable honey occurrence evidence for Pb and Cd, reported in ppm/mg/kg by sample type. It is non-US market evidence and should remain market-stratified unless governance approves cross-market use.
Courses: The paper is useful for explaining why sample type and surrounding traffic or agricultural sources can matter for lead signals in honey.
App: The source supports a non-US context note that Libyan honey samples in this small set had measurable Pb and Cd, with one tamarisk/athel sample above the paper’s cited lead limit.
Microbiome (if applicable): Not addressed.
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Verification notes
The PDF title, author list, DOI, journal site, abstract, methods summary, and Table 4/Figure 4 values were read from the auto-fetched PDF. The paper is bilingual Arabic/English; the numeric table labels lead and cadmium in ppm. The sugar-solution honey row is retained as source-reported context but should not be pooled with ordinary honey samples without adjudicating whether it fits the product row.
Page history
The five most recent substantive edits to this page. The full version history lives in git; when DOI minting comes online (see schema docs), each entry below will also link to a version-pinned DataCite DOI.
| Commit | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 3ac7720 | 2026-06-03 | triage sweep 2026-06-03 0550: 0 rollups + 4 skips |