Determination of pesticides in natural honey by the method of gas chromatography

One of the branches of animal husbandry, which provides the most valuable raw materials not only for food, but also for cosmetic, pharmacological and other industries, is beekeeping. Bees collecting nectar and pollen cross-pollinate various plants thereby increasing crop yields. However, the main product obtained from bees is honey which belongs to the most valuable food products due to its unique composition, and also has a number of medicinal properties [1]. The use of pesticides contributes to increasing productivity and reducing losses in the production of agricultural products. An undesirable factor in this case is the possibility of getting residual amounts of pesticides into food. Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are a particularly dangerous group. These toxicants get not only into honey, but also other products of bees through the nectar they collect. Residues of organochlorine pesticides in bee products are a potential hazard for both humans and all individuals of the bee nest. Therefore, special control over the presence of pesticide residues in bee products is so important. Gas chromatography has been successfully used to study some pesticides present in trace amounts in food. Since honey is a complex matrix containing sugars, enzymes, and other compounds, it is recommended to purify the obtained extracts during sample preparation for gas chromatographic analysis in order to reduce interference and avoid damage to the capillary column. The aim of the study was to improve the methodology for determining the residual amounts of organochlorine pesticides in natural honey. Extraction of pesticides was carried out with acetonitrile, purification of extracts - using a sorbent - floricil. An analysis of the content of residues of organochlorine pesticides in honey of various botanical origin was also carried out.