MINERAL-CONTENT OF THE HONEYS PRODUCED IN GALICIA (NORTH-WEST SPAIN)

Sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, manganese, phosphorus (phosphate), chlorine (chloride), silicon (silica), sulphur (sulphate), and ash contents of 91 samples of raw. honey from Galicia (NW Spain) were determined. The mean ash content was 0.408%. Potassium was the most abundant of the elements determined, with an average content of 1572 mg/kg (38.5% of the ash). All mineral contents showed high coefficients of variation, ranging from 0.34 (sodium, calcium, and sulphur) to 0.71 (iron). In general, the Galician honeys studied have high mineral contents in comparison with honeys reported in the literature.