Abstract:Punica granatum honey is a featured product of the Mengzi region in Yunnan. The contents of nine mineral elements (potassium, sodium, lead, cadmium, zinc, manganese, magnesium, arsenic, and copper) in P. granatum honey, the plant organs of P. granatum (roots, stems, leaves, and flowers), and the soil and water of the habitat were evaluated with flame atomic absorption spectrometry (F-AAS) or graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GF-AAS) here. The results showed that in P. granatum honey, the elements with the highest content (283.68 mg/kg) and the lowest content (0.008 mg/kg) were potassium and cadmium, respectively. Cluster analysis and radar charts showed that the flower of P. granatum had the most significant impact on the mineral contents of the honey. The highest and lowest percentages of the elements that entered the P. granatum honey from flowers were potassium (37.79%) and cadmium (0.46%), respectively. Correlation analysis showed that the mineral contents in honey had significant correlations with different plant organs and the habitat water to varying extents. Among them, the potassium, lead, zinc, manganese, and magnesium in the flower, the lead, cadmium, and arsenic in the root, the sodium, manganese, and arsenic in the water, the lead and manganese in the stem, and the zinc in the leaf showed significant correlation with the contents in the honey. This study showed that besides the "soil-plant-nectar" chain, the mineral contents of P. granatum honey were also related to environmental factors and human activities.
