Overview
Naccari et al. measured Pb, Cd, As (toxic metals) and a suite of microelements (Cr, Ni, Co, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Se, Al) in 38 honey samples of five floral varieties collected from beekeeping farms in the Calabria region of southern Italy. Analysis was by ICP-MS (Agilent 7700x) following microwave acid digestion per UNI EN 13805:2002; LOD/LOQ ranged 0.001–0.005 mg/kg; recoveries 96–105%. All analyzed metals were detected above the LOD in every sample. The key regulatory finding is that Pb exceeded the EU MRL of 0.1 mg/kg (EU Regulation 2023/915) in the majority of samples: 80% of Wildflower, 50% of Citrus and Honeydew, and 25% of Chestnut and Erika samples. Despite these exceedances, the contribution to PTWI, PTMI, and THQ at typical honey consumption rates (1.92 g/day) remained a small fraction of reference values, as honey is a minor dietary vehicle. Cadmium and arsenic were well below regulatory limits. Aluminum was the most abundant microelement (mean 4.5–6.0 mg/kg by variety). The authors use the honey mineral profile as a biomonitoring tool for environmental pollution in apiary areas, noting that Wildflower honey was the most contaminated, consistent with generalist foraging across diverse agricultural land.
Key numbers
All concentrations in mg/kg wet weight (mean ± SD).
Toxic metals by honey variety:
| Variety | n | Pb (mean) | Pb (SD) | Cd (mean) | As (mean) | Pb > EU MRL 0.1 mg/kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildflower | 10 | 0.125 | 0.085 | 0.008 | 0.003 | 80% of samples |
| Citrus | 8 | 0.124 | 0.066 | 0.009 | 0.013 | 50% of samples |
| Chestnut | 8 | 0.079 | 0.043 | 0.006 | 0.003 | 25% of samples |
| Honeydew | 6 | 0.109 | 0.013 | 0.008 | 0.006 | 50% of samples |
| Erika | 6 | 0.104 | 0.004 | 0.007 | 0.007 | 25% of samples |
EU MRL for Pb in honey: 0.1 mg/kg (EU Regulation 2023/915).
Key microelements (mean mg/kg, selected varieties):
| Element | Wildflower | Citrus | Chestnut | Range across all |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al | 4.466 | 6.037 | 4.764 | 4.5–6.0 |
| Ni | 0.071 | 0.079 | 0.108 | 0.07–0.11 |
| Cr | 0.036 | 0.011 | 0.086 | 0.01–0.09 |
All arsenic is total arsenic (ICP-MS, no speciation performed).
Methods (brief)
ICP-MS (Agilent 7700x, octopole reaction system ORS3) after microwave acid digestion (HNO3/H2O2; UNI EN 13805:2002; Anton Paar Multiwave 3000). LOD/LOQ 0.001–0.005 mg/kg; recoveries 96–105% across three spike levels. Calibration correlation r² = 0.999. Internal standards: Sc, Y, In, Tb, Rh, Lu. All arsenic is total arsenic; no HPLC speciation. Risk assessment based on 1.92 g/day honey consumption (ISMEA 2024, Italian per-capita data).
Implications
Certification: Pb in Calabrian honey frequently exceeds EU MRL 0.1 mg/kg (EU Regulation 2023/915), with Wildflower and Citrus varieties most affected. Cd and As remain well below limits. Honey is not a currently certified HMT&C product category, but this dataset establishes a baseline for Italian honey Pb burden.
Courses: Illustrates honey as an environmental biomonitoring matrix; floral source type strongly influences Pb load, with monofloral varieties (Chestnut, Erika) cleaner than polyphoral Wildflower.
App: Honey (Italy, Calabria): Pb mean 0.079–0.125 mg/kg by variety; Cd 0.006–0.009 mg/kg; tAs 0.003–0.013 mg/kg. Al mean 4.5–6.0 mg/kg.
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Update history
The five most recent substantive edits to this page, classified major (evidence or structure moved), correction (a published value or statement was wrong and has been fixed), or minor (narrative rewritten without changing the underlying evidence). Each description is derived from what the edit did to this page; the linked commit is the authoritative record, routine regeneration passes are excluded, and 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 | Change | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| a8052bb | 2026-08-09 | major | 6 sections added; narrative text revised |