Honey is increasingly recognized not only as a functional food but also as a potential bioindicator of environmental pollution. This study assessed the concentrations of four potentially toxic elements (PTEs)—lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn)—in 48 multifloral honey samples collected in 2023 from seven locations across a historically polluted agro-industrial region in Romania. Samples were analyzed using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (FAAS) and Graphite Furnace AAS (GFAAS), with quality control ensured through certified reference materials. Results revealed that Pb (0.72–1.69 mg/kg) and Cd (0.02–0.37 mg/kg) levels consistently exceeded international safety thresholds, while Cu (0.62–2.22 mg/kg) and Zn (0.91–1.93 mg/kg), although essential nutrients, were found in elevated concentrations. Spatial analysis indicated a general trend of higher contamination in sites located closer to former industrial facilities, influenced by factors such as altitude and atmospheric transport. These findings confirm the persistent environmental burden in post-industrial landscapes and support the use of honey as a cost-effective tool for pollution monitoring. The study underscores the need for targeted environmental policies, sustainable apicultural practices, and continued surveillance to protect ecosystem health and food safety.

Understanding the pathways through which heavy metals accumulate in medicinal plants and enter herbal infusions is essential for linking environmental quality with human exposure. This study investigated multi-matrix metal transfer in Tilia spp. along an urban–forest gradient by quantifying twelve elements (Pb, Cd, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cr, Mn, Co, As, Hg, Al, and V) in soil, bark, leaves, flowers, and corresponding infusions using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and by estimating daily intake for different age groups based on EFSA default body weights and two consumption scenarios (150 and 400 mL day⁻¹). The results revealed clear spatial patterns, with significantly higher metal loads in urban sites and a consistent transfer from environmental compartments to plant tissues and infusions. Mn, Al, Pb, and Cd exhibited the highest extractability, leading to elevated estimated daily intakes in young children, identified as the most vulnerable group due to their lower body mass. However, all exposure values remained below EFSA and JECFA toxicological reference limits, while As and Hg were undetectable in all infusions. These findings indicate that Tilia infusions contribute minimally to overall dietary metal exposure and confirm Tilia spp. as reliable bioindicators of soil- and airborne metal deposition, supporting the safe consumption of linden tea under realistic intake conditions.

Environmental contamination with potentially toxic elements is a growing concern for ecosystem quality and food safety. This study evaluated the relationships between environmental conditions, anthropogenic activities, and the elemental composition of Prunus spinosa fruits collected from western and central Romania along a pollution gradient. Eighty samples from ten sites representing non-polluted, agricultural, traffic-exposed, and mining-affected areas were analyzed by ICP-MS after microwave digestion. Fruits from impacted areas showed compositional differences, including lower concentrations of some essential macroelements and higher levels of several trace elements potentially associated with anthropogenic pressure. Increased sodium, aluminum, and silicon contents were consistent with environmental stress and enhanced environmental exposure and possible soil-derived particulate influence, while boron and molybdenum declined with pollution intensity. Elemental patterns were mainly associated with local environmental conditions and appeared consistent with site-specific environmental influences. Food safety assessment indicated generally low to moderate risk depending on sampling origin. Overall, Prunus spinosa fruits showed potential as a bioindicator of environmental quality and a useful tool for monitoring anthropogenic contamination.

Urban environments may influence elemental exposure from wild edible fruits. This study evaluated spatial patterns, soil-to-organ concentration ratios, and food-safety implications of potentially toxic elements in soil and four Sambucus nigra organs collected from 94 sites across five ecological sectors in Oradea, Romania (470 samples). Elements were determined by ICP-MS, and the data were evaluated using soil-to-organ concentration ratios, multivariate analyses, regulatory assessment, dietary-exposure assessment, and non-carcinogenic risk analysis. Elemental profiles varied strongly by matrix and sector, with concentrations generally highest in the central urban sector (Z2) and lowest in the woodland-associated sector (Z4). Bark exhibited the highest soil-normalized concentration ratios for potentially toxic elements; however, because bark was analyzed unwashed, these values may include surface deposition and should not be interpreted as evidence of greater internal accumulation relative to the rinsed organs. In fruits, Cr and Ni were detected in 97.9% and 94.7% of samples; Pb, Cd, As, and Sb occurred mainly in Z2, while Hg remained below the detection limit. Z2 fruits contained 5.92 ± 1.10 detected potentially toxic elements per sample, compared with 1.61 ± 0.61 in Z4. No fruit sample exceeded the applicable EU maximum levels for Pb or Cd. For the additional elements evaluated through the screening-level dietary exposure assessment, all calculated THQs and partial HI values were below 1 under the adopted exposure assumptions. The results indicate a pronounced urban multi-element signal but no appreciable non-carcinogenic concern under the adopted assumptions.

The genus Acer comprises more than 110 tree and shrub species distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere and represents an important component of temperate forest ecosystems. This review evaluates biodiversity patterns, ecological functions, environmental pressures, and conservation approaches associated with Acer forests. A systematic literature search conducted in the Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus databases on 20 January 2026, without publication-year restrictions. After screening and eligibility assessment, 688 publications were included and analyzed using bibliometric methods and qualitative thematic synthesis. The literature increased substantially over the last four decades, with climate change, biodiversity conservation, forest dynamics, and sustainable management among the principal research themes. The selected studies covered species and genetic diversity, forest composition and dynamics, associated plant, fungal, and animal communities, environmental change, and conservation and management. Native Acer forests were frequently associated with structurally complex habitats, diverse understory communities, nutrient cycling, and multiple ecosystem functions, whereas habitat loss, fragmentation, climate change, atmospheric pollution, and biological invasions were identified as major pressures. Introduced species, particularly Acer negundo, were also frequently examined in relation to impacts on native biodiversity. Important research gaps concerned poorly studied endemic species, long-term monitoring, multitrophic interactions, and the effectiveness of conservation measures under environmental change. Future research should integrate ecological, genetic, physiological, and remote-sensing approaches to support evidence-based conservation and sustainable management of Acer forests. This review provides a systematic and bibliometric synthesis of the indexed English-language literature retrieved using the specified search strategy and identifies major research patterns, evidence gaps, and conservation priorities relevant to Acer forests biodiversity under environmental change.

Traditional Romanian Pălincă is a protected fruit spirit obtained from fermented fruit matrices, whereas honey- and botanical-enriched Pălincă-based beverages require integrated compositional and technological characterization. This study investigated the physicochemical, chromatic, antioxidant, and ICP-MS elemental profiles of experimental beverages prepared from grape- and plum-based Pălincă distillates enriched with honey, blackthorn, rosehip, or wood-associated materials under controlled artisanal conditions. Chemometric tools were applied to evaluate ingredient- and process-related differentiation, while target hazard quotient and hazard index calculations were retained as a concise screening-level elemental safety assessment. Honey enrichment produced the strongest compositional changes, mainly reflected by increased soluble solids, conductivity, turbidity, chromatic intensity, and mineral content, together with lower final alcoholic strength. Fruit-macerated and mixed honey-botanical beverages were associated with higher phenolic content and antioxidant activity. ICP-MS profiling highlighted potassium as the dominant macroelement, while Cu, Fe, Zn, and Mn were the main technological trace elements. Potentially toxic elements remained at low concentrations, and the screening-level THQ/HI assessment indicated low non-carcinogenic elemental risk under the applied exposure scenario. Overall, the results show that ICP-MS elemental profiling can support the technological and ingredient-related differentiation of experimental Pălincă-based beverages, while toxicological interpretation should remain limited to elemental exposure screening.