Honey characterization by total reflection x-ray fluorescence:: evaluation of environmental quality and risk for the human health

Honey is produced by Apis Mellifera bees, primarily from floral nectars. The bees are estimated to forage on plants growing in a relatively large area of more than 7 km(2). If it is assumed that any hive includes at least 1000 worker bees and that each of them forages on 1000 flowers per day, the honey produced daily can be considered the outcome of at least one million interactions. In this way, the foraged area is effectively sampled for trace elements. The mineral content of honey is recognized as an environmental indicator. In this work, it is used as an indicator of toxic metal contamination in an extensive area in the central-west of Argentina. Metal identification and quantification was done by total reflection x-ray fluorescence (TXRF). The level of contamination was evaluated taking into account the concentration values suggested by the Codex Alimentariurn Commission. Chemometric tools were employed to relate the honey composition to the environmental contamination of the studied areas. Copyright (C) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.