Journal of Food Composition and Analysis 114 (2022) 104829 Available online 15 August 2022 0889-1575/© 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Physicochemical properties, mineral and heavy metal contents of honey in Eastern Amhara Region, Ethiopia Mebratu Melaku *, 1 , Wubshet Tefera 1 Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture, Woldia University, P.O.Box, 400, Woldia, Ethiopia A R T I C L E INFO Keywords: Honey Trace element Heavy metal Physicochemical Food analysis Food composition Authentication Ethiopia ABSTRACT The study was conducted in Eastern Amhara, Ethiopia to evaluate honey’s physicochemical properties, minerals, and heavy metal contents. Forty-fve honey samples were collected at the farm gates of the selected districts ad agroecologies and taken to the laboratory. The samples were analyzed following the national and international procedures of honey quality analysis. The results indicated a moisture content of (16.9 ± 1.8 g/100 g), ash (0.12 ± 0.12 g/100 g), pH (3.59 ± 0.23), electrical conductivity (EC) (0.23 ± 0.07 mS/cm), free acidity (FA) (21.8 ± 5.8 meq/kg), HMF (7.88 ± 3 mg/kg), specifc rotation ( 7.92 ± 1.2), reducing sugar (66.6 ± 2.3 %), sucrose (3.49 ± 0.7 g/100 g) and caloric value (1555 ± 139 kJ/100 g) respectively. There was (p < 0.05) difference in FA and HMF between districts and pH between agroecology. The honey color varies from white (26.7 %), extra light amber (48.9 %), light amber (17.8 %), to amber (6.7 %). The mineral and heavy metal levels in the honey samples had Iron (0.56–18.69 mg/kg), copper (< 0.1–0.15 mg/kg), zinc (< 0.1–2.18 mg/kg), lead (< 0.1 mg/ kg), phosphorus (9.67–301.48 mg/kg) and sulfur (0–37.24 mg/kg). Generally, the honey quality parameters fall under the acceptable national and international standards limit. We conclude that honey quality differs based on geographical and environmental factors in the study areas. 1. Introduction According to the European Union Legislation and the Codex Ali- mentarius, Honey is defned as “a natural sweet substance made by honey bees from plant nectar, secretions of living parts of plants, or excretions of plant-sucking insects on living parts of plants, which the bees collect, transform by combining with specifc substances of their own, deposit, dehydrate, store, and leave to ripen and mature in the honeycomb” (Codex, 2019). It is one of the essential nutritious diets for humans containing carbohydrates, minerals, and trace elements needed for normal metabolism and healthy body functioning (Pucholobek et al., 2022; Serap et al., 2017). It also has antioxidant, anti-infammatory, and antibacterial properties (D ˙ zugan et al., 2018; Kwakman and Zaat, 2012; Silva et al., 2021) which helps to overcome antibacterial resistance due to its production nature from different plant sources (Maddocks and Jenkins, 2013; Mustafa et al., 2022). The physicochemical properties of honey, mineral, and heavy metals are used as quality indicators. Moreover, values beyond the national and international recommenda- tion levels for these parameters are hazardous, causing cell adhesion, iron transport disruption, mutagenic and carcinogenic effects, and toxicity and oxidative stress ( ´ Ciri´ c et al., 2020; Spiri´ c et al., 2019). Ethiopia has a long history of beekeeping in the world. It has the largest bee colonies in Africa, with an estimated total honey production of 129 million kg, with the Amhara region accounting for 18.85 million kg, including the North Wollo Zone (0.61 million kg) (Central Statistical Agency (CSA), 2021). Ethiopia’s most common honey types are Tigray white, Wenchi Volcano, Dawro Konta, Wolisso, Shalala, Horde, Getche, Badogo, Wondo, and Wassar` a Honey, respectively (Slow Food Founda- tion for Biodiversity, 2022). The type of honey produced in various parts of the country differs in quality due to geography, season, processing conditions, foral source, packaging, and storage period (Kurtagi´ c et al., 2016; Warui et al., 2019; Yayinie et al., 2021). Physicochemical prop- erties, minerals, and trace elements of honey are used to determine its quality and are considerably infuenced by the nectar types, soil type, climate condition, and post-harvest handling practices (Lewoyehu and Amare, 2019; Spiri´ c et al., 2019; Tigistu et al., 2021). In addition, honey quality is affected by harvesting entirely unmatured honey and keeping it in improper containers and storage locations (Awuraris et al., 2012). * Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: sefbahir2009@gmail.com (M. Melaku), wubshettefera3@gmail.com (W. Tefera). 1 Both authors equally contributed to this study. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Food Composition and Analysis journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jfca https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2022.104829 Received 15 February 2022; Received in revised form 27 July 2022; Accepted 12 August 2022