Evaluation of matrix effect on the determination of rare earth elements and As, Bi, Cd, Pb, Se and In in honey and pollen of native Brazilian bees (Tetragonisca angustula – Jataí) by Q-ICP-MS.

Abstract

Bees are considered the main pollinators in natural and agricultural environments. Chemical elements from honey and pollen have been used for monitoring the environment, the health of bees and the quality of their products. Nevertheless, there are not many studies on honey and pollen of native Brazilian bees. The goal of this work was to determine important chemical elements (Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Lu and Yb) along with As, Bi, Cd, Pb, Se and In, in honey and pollen of native Brazilian bees, assessing analytical interferences from the matrix. A proposed analytical method was developed for these elements by quadrupole ICP-MS. Matrix effect was verified in honey matrix in the quantification of As, Bi and Dy; and in pollen matrix for Bi, Cd, Ce, Gd, La, Pb and Sc. The quality of the method was considered satisfactory taking into consideration the recovery rate of each element in the spiked solutions: honey matrix (91.6–103.9%) and pollen matrix (94.1–115.6%). The quantification limits of the method ranged between 0.00041 and 10.3 μg L−1 for honey and 0.00041–0.095 μg L−1 for pollen. The results demonstrate that the method is accurate, precise and suitable.