Contaminants of bee products

Abstract

-Bee products can be contaminated from different sources. The contamination can arise from beekeeping practices or from the environment. Environmental contaminants are covered in the first part of the review. They are: the heavy metals lead, cadmium and mercury, radioactive isotopes, organic pollutants, pesticides (insecticides, fungicides, herbicides and bactericides), pathogenic bacteria and genetically modified organisms. The second part of the review discusses contaminants from beekeeping. The main ones are acaricides: lipophylic synthetic compounds and non-toxic substances such as organic acids and components of essential oils; and antibiotics used for the control of bee brood diseases, mainly tetracyclines, streptomycine, sulfonamides and chloramphenicol. Other substances used in beekeeping play a minor role: para-dichlorobenzene, used for the control of wax moth and chemical repellents. The degree of contamination of honey, pollen, beeswax, propolis and royal jelly by the different contaminants is reviewed. Honey / beeswax / propolis / royal jelly / contamination / residues

As, Cr, Cd, and Pb in Bee Products from a Polish Industrialized Region

“…Others have also found elevated toxic metals in bee pollen [12][13][14][15], but there have been few publications dealing with bee bread contamination. Our results showed that in both bee products As was present in highest concentration.…”

The effect of Agaricus brasiliensis extract supplementation on honey bee colonies

“…As no single explanation for the extensive colony losses has been identified, it is concluded that many biological and environmental stressors, acting alone or in combination, can lead to premature colony mortality (vanEngelsdorp et al 2009, Genersch 2010. Along with bee diseases, many problems in beekeeping are caused by chemicals used against honey bee pathogens, whose appliance is accompanied by side effects on bees and brood (Pettis et al 2004a, 2004b, Loucif-Ayad et al 2008, contamination of bee products (Bogdanov 2006) and health risk to beekeepers and bee product consumers (Stanimirovic et al 2005, Stevanovic et al 2008, Radakovic et al 2013. Therefore, it would be benefitial if some harmless naturalbased supplements could provide maintaining healthy and strong honey bee colonies and help in prevention of their mortality.…”

Essential minerals and inorganic contaminants (barium, cadmium, lithium, lead and vanadium) in dried bee pollen produced in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil

“…Apart from essential minerals, bee pollen may also contain contaminants as it is exposed to different contamination sources in its environment (Bogdanov, 2006;Wiest et al, 2011). The indiscriminate use of pesticides on crops and the industrial contamination of soils, rivers and lakes introduce some heavy metals, harmful to living organisms, into agricultural ecosystems.…”