Contaminant Cocktails of High Concern in Honey: Challenges, QuEChERS Extraction and Levels

Separations

article

Mariana Lamas¹  Francisca Rodrigues¹  Maria Helena Amaral²  Cristina Delerue-Matos¹  Virgínia Cruz Fernandes¹ 

[1] REQUIMTE/LAQV, Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto, Instituto Politécnico do Porto;UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, MEDTECH, Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Technology, Department of Drug Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto;Associate Laboratory i4HB—Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto

关键词: contaminants;    honey;    microplastics;    QuEChERS;   

DOI  :  10.3390/separations10020142

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Environmental pollution is a crucial problem in our society, having nowadays a better understanding of its consequences, which include the increase of contaminant cocktails present in the environment. The contamination of honeybees can occur through their interaction with the nearby environment. Therefore, if honeybees are previously contaminated, there is a possibility of contamination of their products, such as honey as natural, or minimally processed, product, resulting from the honeybees’ activity. Considering that honey is a highly consumed product, it is extremely necessary to control its quality and safety, including evaluating the presence and quantification of contaminants, which should follow monitoring studies and the legislation established by the European Union. This work aims to review the literature of different contaminants reported on honey, including pesticides, persistent organic pollutants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and pharmaceuticals, focusing on the reports using the QuEChERS technique for the extraction. Furthermore, reports of microplastics on honey samples were also discussed. Despite the existence of several methods that identify and quantify these contaminants, few methods have been reported to operate with different groups of contaminants simultaneously. The development of methods with this characteristic (while being fast, low cost, and with a lower impact on the environment), monitoring studies to identify the risks, and an update on legislation are priority actions and future perspectives to follow.

【 授权许可】

CC BY