Bioaccessibility of Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn and Zn from commercial bee honeys

Total concentrations of Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn and Zn were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) in commercial honeys of a stated origin using the direct analysis of their 5.0 (m/v) sample solutions. In addition, in vitro bioaccessibility assay with a simulated gastrointestinal juice was used and demonstrated that very high fractions (80–100% out of total concentrations) of these elements are bioaccessible from analysed honeys. However, it seems that only for Mn a daily intake of 100 g of honey can supply a relatively high contribution (up to 65% out of 2–3 mg day−1) to the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of this element for adults. In case of other elements, the coverage of RDAs was much lower as compared to Mn, i.e., 0.2–1.2% (Ca), 2.2–8.5% (Cu), 0.5–19.2% (Fe), 0.1–4.4% (Mg) and 0.3–16.5% (Zn).