Biomonitoring

Physics

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Organic chemistry

Honey Bees

Beehive

Pollutant

Biology

Environmental chemistry

Micronutrient

Mass spectrometry

Chemistry

Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy

Beeswax

Royal jelly

Honey bee

Propolis

Pollen

Botany

Quantum mechanics

Plasma

Food science

Chromatography

Bee pollen

Inductively coupled plasma

Molecules

Beehive products possess nutritional value and health-promoting properties and are recommended as so-called “superfoods”. However, because of their natural origin, they may contain relevant elemental contaminants. Therefore, to assess the quality of bee products, we examined concentrations of a broad range of 24 selected elements in propolis, bee pollen, and royal jelly. The quantitative analyses were performed with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) techniques. The results of our research indicate that bee products contain essential macronutrients (i.e., K, P, and S) and micronutrients (i.e., Zn and Fe) in concentrations depending on the products’ type. However, the presence of toxic heavy metals makes it necessary to test the quality of bee products before using them as dietary supplements. Bearing in mind that bee products are highly heterogenous and, depending on the environmental factors, differ in their elemental content, it is necessary to develop standards regulating the acceptable levels of inorganic pollutants. Furthermore, since bees and their products are considered to be an effective biomonitoring tool, our results may reflect the environment’s condition in west-central Poland, affecting the health and well-being of both humans and bees.

Multielemental Analysis of Bee Pollen, Propolis, and Royal Jelly Collected in West-Central Poland