Levels of contamination by pesticide residues, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in honeys retailed in Europe

Abstract Honey is consumed worldwide because of its nutritional, therapeutic and medicinal purposes. Generally, honey is perceived to reach the consumer in a pure form; however, certain contaminants can eventually be found in honey. Thus, this study was designed to check the presence of pesticide residues, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) levels and the content of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in selected European honeys (26 samples) obtained from retail. The most frequently detected organochlorine pesticide (OCPs) was 4,4’-DDD, found in fourteen honey samples. Slovakia rape honey was the most polluted one due to the presence of eight OCPs. The presence of organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) was detected in all analysed samples and at least one OP in each sample tested exceeded the acceptable limit. PAHs were detected in most of the analysed samples. Among PAH4, benzo[a]pyrene was found in the forest honey from Slovakia and in the Polish lime origin, whereas wild flower from England contained the highest level of PAH4. The investigated honeys from Spain and France met the requirements for the content of HMF, while the ones of Slovak, Italian and Polish origin in most cases exceeded established levels (40 mg/kg).