Insecticides residues, physicochemical properties, antioxidant activity of Apis mellifera citrus honey from Algeria

The aim of this study is to characterize 10 samples of citrus honey produced by Apis mellifera, harvested and obtained directly from beekeepers all over northern Alegria (east, center, and west) in April 2022. The physical–chemical composition was determined using official methods (pH, Humidity, Acidity, HMF, Electrical conductivity (EC), Total sugar, Ash, Density, Viscosity, and Brix), the antioxidant potential using radical scavenging methods (DPPH and ATBS), as well as assessing their level of contamination by insecticide residues using QuEChERS-LC-MS/MS and the content of total polyphenols using the Folin-Ciocalteu method and total flavonoids using the aluminum trichloride (AlCL3) method. The results obtained show physicochemical parameters were within the standards of the food Codex , total polyphenol content varied from 170.25 to 420.25 mg GAE/kg, and flavonoids from 15.2 to 123. 2 mg QE/100 g, radical scavenging activity varied from 239.75 to 1483.42 µg/mL for DPPH and from 1190 to 1718 µg/mL for ATBS. All samples are contaminated with at least one of the five insecticides analyzed. Acetamiprid and imidacloprid were present in all samples, with minimum concentrations of 1.74 ng/g and 3.45 ng/g, respectively. Consumption of some samples contained insecticides present health risk for children of 20 kg.