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J. Agric. Food Chem. 2010, 58, 6876–6883 DOI:10.1021/jf100433p
Inorganic Contaminants in Bee Pollen from Southeastern Brazil MARCELO A. MORGANO,*,† MARCIA C. TEIXEIRA MARTINS,§,# LUANA C. RABONATO,† RAQUEL F. MILANI,† KATUMI YOTSUYANAGI,† AND DELIA B. RODRIGUEZ-AMAYA# † Food Science and Quality Center (CCQA), Food Technology Institute (ITAL), Av. Brasil 2880, 13070-178 Campinas, SP, Brazil, §Adventist University Center of S~ao Paulo (UNASP), Estrada de Itapecerica 5859, 05858-001 S~ao Paulo, SP, Brazil, and #Department of Food Science, Faculty of Food Engineering, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), C.P. 6121, 1308-862 Campinas, SP, Brazil
A set of experiments was carried out to validate a method for inorganic contaminants in honeybeecollected pollen, consisting of digestion of the samples in a closed microwave-assisted system and quantification of 10 inorganic contaminants by ICP OES. Forty-three samples of Brazilian bee pollen, collected in southeastern Brazil during one year, were analyzed. Determination of these analytes is important both as bioindicators of pollution and to verify the safety of consuming the pollen itself. The method had satisfactory performance, with good accuracy and precision. The ranges of the mean levels were 10.4-268.0 mg/kg for Al,
