Determination of mineral contents of bee honeys produced in Middle Anatolia

The mineral contents of 43 honey samples from the middle regions of Turkey were investigated. Minerals were determined by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrophotometry. Calcium, potassium, sodium and phosphorus were the most abundant of the elements in all samples with average concentrations ranging between 40.13 and 189.69 mg/kg for calcium, 161.01 and 598.62 mg/kg for potassium, 9.34 and 45.9 mg/kg for sodium, and 460.11 and 3,776.96 mg/kg for phosphorus. Cluster analysis of the honeys' data revealed that mineral contents of Çorum and Konya honeys were closer as they formed a cluster at a similarity level of 60%.