Safety Assessment of Honeys from Northern and Southern Algerian Regions

Abstract

Non-European food products often have many safety gaps. Among the various foods imported into Europe, honey, a natural product with important nutritional properties, is easily susceptible to contamination by inorganic elements. For this reason, the mineral profile of monofloral and multifloral honeys from different regions of North (provinces of Tiaret and Laghouat) and South Algeria (province of Tindouf) was monitored. In general, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cd, and Pb levels were found in almost all the samples, exceeding the limits set for honey by the Codex Alimentarius and European Regulation 915/2023. In addition, Algerian honeys were discriminated based on their geographical and botanical origin. The dietary exposure assessment indicates that a small amount of Algerian honey can be safely consumed. However, the data obtained should lead the Algerian government to set regulatory limits on inorganic elements in honey and align with other international standards to create a harmonized network able to improve the safety of this food.