Overview
Gunes measured arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury residues in 27 chestnut honey samples from Yalova province, Turkey, and assessed non-carcinogenic intake risk. The paper is direct honey occurrence evidence, with all four measured metals reported in ug/kg and summarized as lowest, highest, and average concentrations. The author concluded that measured residues were below Turkish Food Codex limits and that the calculated target hazard quotients were very low for the assumed honey intake.
Key numbers
Heavy-metal residue levels were reported in ug/kg honey.
| Statistic | Pb | Cd | As | Hg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest | 0.096 | 0.076 | 0.032 | 0.240 |
| Highest | 39.067 | 1.198 | 0.950 | 44.546 |
| Average | 21.301 | 1.183 | 0.516 | 21.490 |
| Measurement uncertainty | +/- 0.004 | +/- 0.001 | +/- 0.001 | +/- 0.003 |
| THQ | 2.5e-4 | 5.56e-5 | 8.1e-5 | 6.45e-4 |
| PTDI contribution (%) | 4.4 | 15.4 | 4.71 | 4.4 |
The paper also compares the Yalova averages with selected literature values after converting to mg/kg: lead (Pb) 0.021 mg/kg, cadmium (Cd) 0.0011 mg/kg, arsenic (As) 0.0005 mg/kg, and mercury (Hg) 0.0214 mg/kg.
Methods (brief)
The study collected 27 raw chestnut honey samples from seven common beekeeping locations used by Yalova Beekeepers Association members. Heavy-metal analysis used microwave digestion of 0.5 g honey with nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide, followed by ICP-OES measurement of Pb, Cd, As, and Hg. The risk assessment calculated target hazard quotients using a daily honey intake of 3.3 g for a 70 kg adult.
Implications
Certification: This is routeable occurrence evidence for chestnut honey and the broader honey product category. The source reports Pb, Cd, total As, and total Hg, but does not report inorganic arsenic or methylmercury.
Courses: The paper provides a compact example of translating measured honey residues into intake-risk metrics while preserving the source concentration basis.
App: The values are useful as Turkey-market honey context for Pb, Cd, total arsenic, and total mercury.
Microbiome (if applicable): Not addressed.
Related evidence
Update history
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