2011. Major and trace elements in different types of Moroccan honeys.

Forty-eight honey samples from different regions in Morocco were collected from beekeepers between 2005 and 2008. The levels of trace elements Mn, Cu, Ba, Ni, Cr, Co, Se, As, Ag and Be; major elements K, Na, Ca, Mg, Al, Fe and Zn; and toxic elements Cd and Pb were determined. Mg, K, Ca and Na were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry and the other mineral elements by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) following acid digestion. Potassium was the most abundant element (71.22% of the total minerals), followed by sodium and calcium (15.64% and 7.24%, respectively). Ten honey types, Euphorbia echinus, Euphorbia resinifera, Ziziphus lotus, Citrus, Eucalyptus, rosemary, thyme, carob, lavender and honeydew were studied, and a statistical analysis was carried out using analysis of variance (ANOVA), Kruskal-Wallis test, principal component analysis (PCA) and discriminant analysis (DA) to classify them. PCA showed that the cumulative variance was 76.57%, and the DA analysis indicated that 73.3% of samples were correctly classified. Carob, rosemary and lavender honey were 100% classified. The mineral content of Euphorbia echinus, Ziziphus lotus, rosemary, carob and lavender Moroccan honey types has been determined for the first time.