Revealing the bioaccumulation of heavy metals in honey plants and their translocation into apiproducts

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15587/1729-4061.2026.354695

Keywords:

bee pollen, heavy metals, translocation factor, military operations, safety of apiproducts

Abstract

This study quantifies the translocation factor (TF) for heavy metals transferred from wild honey plants to beekeeping products. The research area is located near the war zone, so its contamination with heavy metals is possible.

Analysis of honey plants and bee products can make it possible to establish their safety. Field studies were conducted in July 2025 in the village of Stepanivka (Ukraine). The concentration of Cd, Pb, As, as well as the TF for these heavy metals transferred from wild honey plants to beekeeping products (bee pollen and honey), were determined using generally accepted methods.

It was found that the concentration of Pb in wild honey plants is 1.64 ± 0.44 mg/kg, which exceeds the level permitted in Europe and Ukraine for plants by 5.5–8.2 times. However, in bee bread and honey, the concentration of Pb is within the normal range (0.15 ± 0.01 mg/kg and 0.09 ± 0.01 mg/kg, respectively). This indicates that pollen is less contaminated compared to vegetative parts of the plant, acting as a barrier for heavy metals, and bees have the ability to reduce the concentration of pollutants. This is also confirmed by the fact that the concentration of Pb in bee bread is higher than in honey, which may indicate the ability of bees to act as a biofilter. The same effect is observed with other toxins. The level of Cd in honey (0.007 ± 0.01 mg/kg) was lower than its concentration in bee bread (0.01 ± 0.05 mg/kg). The concentration of As in honey is also 0.1 mg/kg lower than its concentration in bee bread. At the same time, it was found that the concentration of As in wild honey plants (< 0.0001 mg/kg) is significantly lower than its concentration in beekeeping products. The highest bioaccumulation of Cd was registered in bee bread (TF = 0.13). Considering that the translocation factor of heavy metals does not exceed 1, honey and bee bread collected in the study area can be considered safe for consumption

Author Biographies

Maryna Samilyk, Sumy National Agrarian University

Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor

Department of Technology and Food Safety

Svetlana Tkachuk, Department of Veterinary Hygiene named after professor A. K. Skorokhodko

Doctor of Veterinary Sciences, Professor

Department of Veterinary Hygiene named after professor A. K. Skorokhodko

Volodymyr Onoprienko, Sumy National Agrarian University

Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor

Department of Tourism

Larysa Yepyk, Sumy National Agrarian University

PhD, Associate Professor

Department of Tourism

Oleh Bakhmat, Higher Educational Institution "Podillia State University"

Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Professor

Department of Ecology and General Biological Subjects

Danylo Plahtiy, Higher Educational Institution "Podillia State University"

PhD, Associate Professor

Department of Ecology and General Biological Subjects

Tetiana Krachan, Higher Educational Institution "Podillia State University"

PhD, Associate Professor, Head of Department

Department of Chemistry

Anna Hotvianska, Dnipro State Agrarian and Economic University

PhD, Associate Professor

Department of Plant Production

Dmytro Kisil, Sumy National Agrarian University

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Senior Lecturer

Department of Veterinary and Sanitary Inspection, Microbiology, Hygiene and Pathological Anatomy

Dmytro Nahirnyy, Separated Subdivision of National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine "Berezhany Agrotechnical Institute"

Assistant

Department of Ecology

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Revealing the bioaccumulation of heavy metals in honey plants and their translocation into apiproducts

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Published

2026-04-28

How to Cite

Samilyk, M., Tkachuk, S., Onoprienko, V., Yepyk, L., Bakhmat, O., Plahtiy, D., Krachan, T., Hotvianska, A., Kisil, D., & Nahirnyy, D. (2026). Revealing the bioaccumulation of heavy metals in honey plants and their translocation into apiproducts. Eastern-European Journal of Enterprise Technologies, 2(10 (140), 18–23. https://doi.org/10.15587/1729-4061.2026.354695

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 10 (140) (2026): Ecology

Section

Ecology

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Maryna Samilyk, Svetlana Tkachuk, Volodymyr Onoprienko, Larysa Yepyk, Oleh Bakhmat, Danylo Plahtiy, Tetiana Krachan, Anna Hotvianska, Dmytro Kisil, Dmytro Nahirnyy

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