Risk Assessment and Monitoring of Certain Pollutants in Natural Honeys Imported from Different Countries and Marketing in KSA

Abstract

Background Natural honeys imported by Saudi Arabia and marketed in the local markets may do not comply with t national and international specifications and contain levels of metals and pesticide residues that exceed maximum residue limits (MRLs). Based on these residue data, a risk assessment of consumer exposure was conducted. Methods Natural honeys were characterized depending on their physicochemical and antimicrobial properties, as well as metals and pesticide residue contents were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) techniques, respectively. Furthermore, a risk assessment for contaminated honey consumption by humans was performed, using consumption data. Results A broad range of pesticides were detected in the samples. Most of the detected active ingredients were insecticides and fungicides. A considerable part of the detected pesticide residues exceeded the EU and Cuban MRLs. However, the deterministic risk assessment revealed that the consumer risk of pesticide exposure is low. Only in the maximum exposure scenario children and adults were exposed to methamidophos residues in tomatoes higher than the acceptable daily intake. Results The chemical composition of some of these honeys did not comply with most national and international specifications with spatial variations in their properties. Additionally, honey samples showed greater antimicrobial activities than all analyzed samples against osmophilic microorganisms, and the most sensitive microorganism was Aspergillus flavus. Pb and Cd were not detected in any of the tested samples. Cu levels were below the guideline value of 5 mg/kg, while Zn, Fe, and Ni levels in most of the imported samples did not comply with the legislation values of 5, 15, and 0.01-1.00 mg/kg, respectively, and may pose a health risk to consumers. Additionally, Mn was found in higher levels, which can be attributed either to the production stages of honey or the region from which the honey was taken. Additionally, the present results revealed that some pesticides are either banned or not recommended to be used inside hives to control Varroa mites and found in honey imported from Germany, Australia, and Turkey. The hazard indices for were less than one Conclusion Because the hazard indices all the detected pesticides residues were <1, therefore the consumption of these imported honeys could not pose a health risk for the Saudi population. It can be concluded that some metals and pesticide residues found in imported natural honey are not safe baseline levels for human consumption and may affect human health.