Pesticides and Trace Element Residues in Honey from Northern Croatia

The rapid translocation of pesticide and metal residues in the environment poses a health risk to honeybees and provides a potential route for consumer exposure to these pollutants through the consumption of honeybee products. Given the high global consumption of honey, especially by immunocompromised individuals, children, and the elderly, quality control highlights the need for ongoing monitoring and risk assessment. In total, 38 comb honey and 22 extracted honey samples were collected in northern Croatia in June 2023 and analysed for 197 pesticides (using LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS) and 17 trace metal(loid)s (using ICP-MS) to assess contamination levels. Comb honey generally contained higher concentrations of active substances than extracted honey, with the highest detection frequencies of fipronil-sulfone, trifloxystrobin, and coumaphos in comb honey, and DMF and DMPF in honey. Glyphosate was the only pesticide to exceed the EU MRL of 0.05 mg/kg in three honey samples. Elemental analysis quantified the levels of most target metals, with Al, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni and Zn being the most abundant, while Ag, As, and Se were the only ones not detected in this study. None of the samples showed Pb content above the regulatory limit for honey established in the EU (0.1 mg/kg).