Occurrence of antibiotic residues in Apulian honey: potential risk of environmental pollution by antibiotics

Abstract

The presence of antibiotic residues in honey is widely documented and is attributed almost exclusively to improper beekeeping practices, due to the frequent use of drugs for the treatment of beehive diseases. Therefore, the aim of our research was to evaluate the presence of antibiotics in honeycomb using the Anti-Microbial Array II (AM II) and IV (AM IV) method and to assess the relationship between environmental context and antibiotic residues in honey. The results show the presence of antibiotic residues in 26/50 honey from brood nests samples, confirming the impact of environmental contamination on the health quality of this food product. In addition, subsequent analyses conducted on positive samples reveal the instability over time of antimicrobial molecules in honey. These results highlight the need for further studies in order to understand all likely sources of contamination and to implement a comprehensive safety management plan for honey.