Safety of Honey

doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-800605-4.00012-8

Regulating Safety of Traditional and Ethnic Foods

2016, Pages 217-246

https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-800605-4.00012-8 Get rights and content

Abstract

Honey is classified as an animal product and compared with other animal products such as milk or fish, extremely safe. In this chapter, the main factors affecting quality and nutritional value of honey, in accordance with Codex Alimentarius and EU Directive 101/2001, are described briefly. There is a short overview of the history of honey as a food, and honey classification is summarized according to origin. Basic indicators that influence the safety of honey, and are capable of making this product dangerous for consumers, are presented in this chapter. These include biologic contaminants, such as Clostridium botulinum, as well as chemical contaminants and residues (e.g., heavy metals, pesticides, toxic elements, drugs, and antibiotics).

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Cited by (15)

Impact of Different Adulterants on Honey Quality Properties and Evaluating Different Analytical Approaches for Adulteration Detection
2024, Journal of Food Protection
The study was carried out keeping in view the recently emerging concern of adulteration of natural honey on the honey markets. This study intended to investigate honey adulteration detection using physical and chemical composition to achieve a foreign component (a marker) that is present in the honey that confirms either the adulteration or authenticity of the honey. The technique was evaluated on honey samples that were 5–50% adulterated with various common adulterants in Ethiopia. Preliminary quick tests and characterization of physicochemical and antioxidant properties were tested as alternative analytical approaches for honey adulteration detection. Preliminary quick test methods were used to detect adulterated honey, but these methods were found specific to adulterant materials. The proline and pH levels decreased as molasses, sugar, and banana adulterants increased, while increased as melted candy and shebeb adulterants increased. Moisture content decreased as sugar, melted candy, and shebeb adulterants were increased, while decreased as molasses and banana adulterants increased. HMF content increased as molasses, melted candy, and shebeb adulterants were increased. The sugar compositions are key differential criteria to detect the adulteration of honey with sugar. Based on their physical characteristics, PCA demonstrated a considerable difference between samples of pure and contaminated honey. In conclusion, it was observed that honey adulteration was detected based on significant deviations of physicochemical and biochemical components from expected values in the concentration of naturally occurring components. This study successfully demonstrated a method to rapidly and accurately classify and authenticate honey. Accordingly, it is recommended that frequent training for stakeholders on adulteration detection methods should be carried out to avoid adulteration of honey from the markets.
Physicochemical and antioxidant characterization of commercially available honey sample from Addis Ababa market, Ethiopia
2023, Heliyon
High-quality and genuine honey is crucial to provide consumers with natural honey and prevent any potential health issues. This study aimed to examine the quality of commercial honey available in the Addis Ababa market. A total of 30 honey samples were randomly collected from eight sub-cities of Addis Ababa city. Both High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and UV–Vis spectroscopic methods were used to determine 12 physicochemical and three antioxidant activity parameters in the honey samples according to internationally recognized standards. The findings of this study showed that the hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), free acidity, and ash content of all commercial honey samples conformed to honey standards. However, except for honey samples collected from processors (19.48 ± 0.4 %) and retail outlets (20.49 ± 0.13 %), all other commercial honey samples failed to meet the moisture content criteria (≤21 %). Proline levels in honey samples taken from the street (67.1 ± 0.52 mg/kg) were also found to be below the required standard. The commercial honey samples contained fructose, glucose, sucrose, and maltose within a range of 33.85 ± 0.65 to 48.61 ± 0.51 %, 33.07 ± 1.58 to 44.3 ± 0.82 %, 0.91 ± 0.05 to 6.23 ± 2.49 %, and 0.51 ± 0.14 to 2.4 ± 0.44 %, respectively. Furthermore, honey samples from market areas showed good Total Phenolic Content (TPC), Total Flavonoid Content (TFC), and antioxidant activity. Overall, the results revealed that all physicochemical parameters, except for proline, moisture, and sucrose content, complied with approved standards (Codex Alimentarius, European Union (EU), and Ethiopia Standard Agency (ESA). Accordingly, it is recommended that stakeholders receive regular training on how to manage honey quality issues and detect adulteration techniques to prevent contaminated honey from reaching the markets.
Pesticide residues in bee bread, propolis, beeswax and royal jelly – A review of the literature and dietary risk assessment
2023, Food and Chemical Toxicology
Due to pollinator decline observed worldwide, many studies have been conducted on the pesticide residue content of apicultural products including bee bread, propolis, beeswax and royal jelly. These products are consumed for their nutraceutical properties, although, little information is available on the human health risk posed by pesticides present in them. In our research, studies dealing with the pesticide contamination of the above-mentioned hive products are reviewed. Dietary exposures were calculated based on the recommended daily intake values and concentration data reported by scientific studies. Potential acute and chronic health risk of consumers were evaluated by comparing the exposure values with health-based guidance values. Available data indicate that a wide range of pesticide residues, especially acaricides may accumulate in bee bread, propolis and beeswax, up to concentration levels of more thousand μg/kg. Based on our observations, tau-fluvalinate, coumaphos, chlorfenvinphos, chlorpyrifos and amitraz are commonly detected pesticide active substances in beehive products. Our estimates suggest that coumaphos and chlorfenvinphos can accumulate in beeswax to an extent that pose a potential health risk to the consumers of comb honey. However, it appears that pesticide residues do not transfer to royal jelly, presumably due to the filtering activity of nurse bees during secretion.
Application of Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and multivariate analysis for detection of adulteration in honey markets in Ethiopia
2023, Current Research in Food Science
Honey is a highly susceptible food item to adulteration in national and international trade. Spectrum screening by FTIR coupled with multivariate analysis was investigated as an alternate analytical technique for honey adulterations and authentication. This technique was evaluated using pure honey samples that were blended at a ratio of 0–50% with commonly known adulterant materials and honey samples that were readily available for purchase in the Addis Ababa markets channel. Holeta Bee Research's bee farm pure honey, which is authentic honey, is employed as the control in this experiment. In the region, 4000–400 cm⁻¹, spectral data of honey samples and five adulterant materials were recorded. The combination of spectra measurement with multivariate analyses resulted in the visualization of honey grouping and classification based on their functional group. The bands at 1800–650 cm⁻¹ spectral region were selected for successful discrimination of clusters. Based on spectral differences, cluster analysis (CA) is also capable of grouping and separating pure from contaminated honey. Principle component analysis was able to visualize the differentiation of deliberately adulterated honey and commercially available from authentic ones. According to the results of our investigation, using FTIR analysis methods along with multivariate statistical analysis of the data could be considered useful fingerprinting procedures for identifying samples of pure and adulterated honey.
Ion chromatography with conductometric detection for quantitation of formic acid in Polish bee honey
2018, Journal of Food Composition and Analysis
Citation Excerpt :
Potassium (9.3–6785 μg/g (Pohl et al., 2009)) is the most abundant metal accounting for 45–85% of the total mineral content. A number of organic substances (organic acids; enzymes (invertase, glucose oxidase, catalase, phosphatase); vitamins (riboflavin, pantothenic acid, niacin, thiamine, pyridoxine, ascorbic acid); and products of sugar decays) are important compounds affecting honey properties (Grigoryan et al., 2016). Colour, aroma, flavour and final quality of honey are attributed to unique combinations of such constituents.
Honey is a bee product that plays an important role in human diet. Its beneficial health properties are widely known. Honey is a substance of complex composition. One of many groups of naturally occurring compounds in honey are organic acids, among them formic, oxalic and lactic acids, exhibiting impact to varroosis – parasitic bee disease when occur at the excess. Therefore, such acids are used by beekeepers as natural medicines against varroa mites. Improper apiarian practice can increase the content of acids in honey and deteriorate its quality. The problem of the occurrence of elevated levels of formic acid in bee honey is discussed. Formic acid exhibits particularly high efficacy to kill the varroa mites and is often used in apicultural practice. The applicability of ion chromatography with conductivity detection to the determination of formic acid in bee honey was investigated. Rapid and selective method, using anionic Dionex IonPac AS9−HC column and 9.0 mmol/L Na₂CO₃ as the eluent, is presented. Formic acid concentrations in the analyzed samples of six commercially available Polish bee honeys of different origin range from 20.09 ± 2.62 mg/kg in acacia honey up to 248.58 ± 2.62 mg/kg in buckwheat honey.
Bactericidal effect of ultraviolet-C treatments applied to honey
2018, LWT
Citation Excerpt :
Honey is usually considered a microbiological safe food, with a long shelf life, not requiring refrigeration, due to its low pH and reduced water activity. Therefore, only a limited number of microorganisms are expected to survive and eventually grow in honey, mostly yeasts and molds, as well as some spore forming bacteria whose sources are the pollen and nectar collected by bees, dust, air or the handling during collecting and processing of honey (Gomes, Dias, Moreira, Rodrigues, & Estevinho, 2010; Grigoryan, 2016; Iurlina & Fritz, 2005; Różańska, 2011; Snowdon & Cliver, 1996). Infant botulism is a disease that affects children under the age of one year that is induced by the ingestion of food contaminated by spores of Cl.
Short wave ultraviolet light (UV-C) was studied in honey to inactivate vegetative cells of Escherichia coli (CECT 405) and spores of Bacillus subtilis (CECT 12) and Clostridium sporogenes (CECT 553) inoculated at a level of 10⁴–10⁵ CFU/g. UV-C doses ranging from 1.5 to 21.6 J/mL were used passing inoculated honey samples through an UV-C reactor up to 4 times. Lethal effect increased with both the final dose applied and number of passes through the UV-C reactor. E. coli was the most sensitive obtaining maximum reductions above 5 Log₁₀ CFU/g at 14.4 J/mL in treatments with 2 passes while for B. subtilis spore reductions of just 2.7 Log₁₀ CFU/g were obtained after the same treatment. For spores of Cl. sporogenes maximum reduction of 2.5 Log₁₀ CFU/g was observed after an 18 J/mL treatment. No significant differences (P > 0.05) were observed when treatments were applied with three passes or less, but after 4 passes, spore reduction above 3.5 Log₁₀ CFU/g was achieved. Effect of UV-C on some quality parameters of honey, such as hydroxymethylfurfural, pH and color, was also assessed. UV-C light made changes in most of these parameters although this not necessarily implied a reduction in the quality of honey.

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Chapter 12 - Safety of Honey

Abstract