Radiological health risks assessment and antioxidant activities of beehive honeys: a case study of Manisa province, Turkey

Abstract

The physicochemical contents, antioxidant capacities, and radiological contamination levels of 20 honey samples were studied in this study to show the quality of the hive honey. Moreover, some antioxidant activities and radical scavenging properties of honey samples were investigated. The findings showed that the antioxidant properties of honey, which are strongly connected to their floral origins, have a significant therapeutic potential. While artificial radioactive Cs-137 could not be detected in any of the honey samples, the average activity concentrations of natural radionuclides were 0.79 +/- 0.23 Bq kg(-1) for Ra-226, 0.85 +/- 0.32 Bq kg(-1) for Th-232 and 68.33 +/- 22.80 Bq kg(-1) for K-40, respectively. The difference in Ra-226, Th-232, and K-40 contents between honey species was not statistically significant (p>0.05). In addition, the lifetime cancer risk values calculated from honey consumption were found to be below the acceptable limit values.