Physico-Chemical Properties and Determination of Heavy Metal Levels in Honey by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy

Physicochemical properties and heavy metals in honey are of interest not only for quality control but also for determination environmental contamination. The present study was carried out to investigate the physicochemical properties and heavy metal levels in branded and non branded honey samples purchased from different areas of Peshawar, Islamabad, Mardan, Swabi and Charsadda. The main objective of this study was to compare the branded and non branded honey samples obtained from the different regions. The collected honey samples were analyzed for pH, ash content, moisture and electrical conductivity and  four heavy metals i.e. Iron, Lead, Copper & Zinc and levels of these metals were determined using atomic absorption spectroscopy. The samples in this study were prepared by ashing method. The concentration ranges obtained for the metals analyzed in honey samples were as follows; Fe (1.26±0.05-7.21±2.01), Pb (0.07±0.06-0.53±0.03), Cu (0.02±0.01-0.17±0.01) and Zn (0.81±0.13-7.73±0.02) in mg/kg. The results shows that the geological strata may affect the physicochemical properties and the metal content in the honey samples.