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7375932 
Journal Article 
MINERAL ANALYSIS OF DIFFERENT BEE PRODUCTS BY FLAME ATOMIC ABSORPTION SPECTROMETRY 
Barbes, L; Barbulescu, A; Stanciu, G; Rotariu, R 
2021 
66 
1-2 
WOS:000626521600010 
The mineral content could be an important indicator to distinguish the different types of bee products according to their botanical and geographical origins, as they depend both on the floral type of honey plants and the composition of the soil in which they developed. This article provides an overview of the results obtained in the study conducted in the North Dobrudja area (different forest and agricultural zones) on the content of macronutrients, micronutrients, and trace elements (chromium, lead, and cadmium) in several types of honey (mono-floral and multi-floral) and two other bee products (propolis and honeycomb) from spring and summer 2019. The mineral profile is determined using the flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) measurements. In this respect, potassium and calcium were the major elements in raw honey samples, with a maximum of 685.2 mg/kg in multifloral honey and 42.65 mg/kg in the honeycomb. Propolis and honeycomb contained more zinc, with a maximum of 3.05 mg/kg and iron, with a maximum of 1.22 mg/kg. The analysis of chromium in the bee products indicated that maximum Cr concentration ranged between 0.08 mg/kg in lime honey on the forest zone to 7.24 mg/kg in acacia honey on the agricultural zone, respectively. Also, the maximum lead concentration was 0.671 in the multifloral honey on the polluted area by the intense road traffic. 
bee products; mineral analysis; flame atomic absorption spectrometry