Honey Pesticides and Trace Chemical Contaminants
The contamination of food and feed products with trace levels of environmental contaminants such as pesticides, heavy metals and PAHs is an ever-present concern for the industry.
UK and EU contaminants related legislation imposes high demands on all traded commodities, setting numerous legal maximum limits (MRLs) for various pesticides and other environmental contaminants. We can offer a wide-range of tests capable of providing assurance of product compliance with such Regulations.
Pesticide Analysis
We can offer a full pesticide multi-residue screen covering 600+ residues. Furthermore, we can offer tests for residues of specific interest, such as:
- Glyphosate
- Neonicotinoids
- Chlormequat and mepiquat
- Bee and hive treatment pesticides (e.g. Varroacides)
Hive Treatments
We can also offer trace analysis for substances which may be employed as repellents or treatments in and around the beehive.
These substances include:
- Phenol
- Thymol
- Naphthalene
Heavy metals
Lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As) and mercury (Hg) are all environmental contaminants which can find their way into foodstuffs at trace levels. We can offer cost-competitive analysis of these heavy metals.
Environmental contaminants
Undesirable traces of substances derived from environmental pollution caused by industrial manufacturing processes can find their way into the food chain.
We can offer testing for the most prevalent of these substances:
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
- Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)
- Dioxins
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (Pas)
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are toxic substances produced by plants as a defence mechanism against insect herbivores. Honey can contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids, as can grains, milk, offal and eggs. We can offer a comprehensive screen for the most commonly encountered Pas in honey.