Fuente: Foods - Revista científica (MDPI) Foods, Vol. 15, Pages 1128: Toxic Metal Content in Mexican Propolis: A Human Health Risk Assessment
Foods doi: 10.3390/foods15071128
Authors:
Ana Paola Balderrama-Carmona
Leticia García-Rico
Ana Lilia López-Duarte
Melissa Valenzuela-Rincón
Luis Gerardo Ochoa-Balderrama
Guadalupe González-Ochoa
Lilian Karen Flores-Mendoza
Mario Eduardo Almada-Ortiz
Edgar Felipe Moran-Palacio
María Mercedes Meza-Montenegro

In the present study, arsenic, cadmium, lead, and manganese contamination in propolis was assessed. A total of 12 raw propolis samples were analysed using atomic emission spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma (ICP-OES) for each of the metals. The analyses revealed that the samples were contaminated with each of the following metals: arsenic (ranging from <0.21 to 0.4 ppm), cadmium (<0.008 to 0.123 ppm), lead (0.580 to 117.01 ppm), and manganese (4.22 to 47.57 ppm). Lead levels exceeded the acceptable limits for consumption. A chemometric characterization was performed, looking at the correlation between elemental contamination, showing high correlation between cadmium and manganese levels (r = 0.80). Furthermore, the samples with the highest contamination levels were in areas with high industrial and agricultural activity. A risk assessment for toxic metals indicated a risk associated with lead. While the amount of lead present in the propolis samples was deemed to pose a low carcinogenic risk, it is noteworthy that the levels of the other metals detected do not pose any discernible health risk associated with the consumption of propolis. This conclusion is crucial for understanding the safety profile of propolis as a dietary supplement or natural product.