THE CORRELATION OF MINERAL ELEMENTS SHARES IN THE SOIL AND BLACK LOCUST HONEY WITHIN FIVE CROATIAN REGIONS AND SEASONS

This study included 200 samples of black locust honey collected from beekeepers through two seasons (season 1 and season 2) in five Croatian regions (20 samples from each region) (Varaždin, Krapina-Zagorje, Bjelovar-Bilogora, Eastern Croatia and Istria) and 100 soil samples from apiary areas where honey samples are taken from. Melissopalynological analysis confirmed the botanical origin of all the samples, as declared by the manufacturer – black locust honey. The dominant mineral of the 12 tested (Ca, Na, K, Mg, Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, Al, Ni, Pb and Cd) is K 205.571-428.050 mg/kg, followed by Ca 33.526-329.327 mg/kg and Na 23.343-218.042 mg/kg. Obtained shares of the (12) minerals in soil samples are comparable with the values obtained by the Geological Survey, except for the share of Fe in the Istria region (greater than100 times). Conducted regression analysis enabled determining the correlation of mineral share in the soil and honey regarding Na and K, and is described in the best way by linear function and characterised by high correlation coefficients.