Heavy metals and pesticide residues in honey from the major honey producing forest belts in Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Western Regions of Ghana

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Date
2015-07-12
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Abstract
The purpose of this work was to determine the concentrations of heavy metals and pesticides residues in honey. In all forty five honey samples were purposively collected from Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Western Regions of Ghana. QuEChERS method, a multiresidual method for analysis of pesticide residues in low –fat matrix was employed in the extraction procedure. Varian CP-3800 Gas Chromatograph with a CombiPAL Autosampler, equipped with electron capture detector for synthetic pyrethroids and Organochlorine pesticides while pulse flame photometric detector for organophosphate were used. Aldrin, γ-HCH, β-HCH, Σendosulfan, cyfluthrin, cypermethrin, deltamethrin, permethrin methoxychlor, ΣDDT, chloripyrifos, fenvelerate, malathion, dimethoate and diazinon were all detected at the concentration of 0.01 with the exception of cyfluthrin and permethrin which were detected at 0.02 and 0.04 mg/kg respectively, in each of the pesticides. All the pesticides residues detected were below the respective maximum residue limit. Hence honey samples analyzed do not pose any health risk to the consumer. For the heavy metal analysis using AAS, the concentrations were in the order as: Cd 0.02 <Zn 0.22 < Pb 0.84 < Fe 2.30 < Cu 3.23 mg/kg. Cadmium recorded the lowest concentration 0.03 mg/kg whilst Cu recorded the highest concentration of 3.23 mg/kg.
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A thesis submitted to the Department of Chemistry, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy (MPhil.) in Analytical Chemistry.
Keywords
honey,pesticides, residues, heavy metal, organochlorine, organophosphorus, synthetic pyrethroids
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