Inventory of melliferous plants and physicochemical analyzes ofhoneys fromthe region of Jijel

Abstract

The region of Jijel is the greenest region in Algeria and it is rich in biodiversity and natural resources that need to be evaluated and valorized. The aim of this study was to evaluate the melliferous potential of the flora in Jijel and the quality of Jijelian honeys according to their physicochemical and bioactive properties and pesticides contamination along with the altitude effect on these parameters. 296 melliferous plants belonging to 69 families were identified dominated by 208 herbs and May was the month that has the higher number of blooming plants (236 (80%)). In addition, the tested honeys had a good quality regarding physicochemical parameters, phenolic contents, and bioactive activities and they were efficient against E. coli. Coastal honeys had statistically significantly higher pH, electrical conductivity, ash content, color intensity, HMF content, and reducing power than the mountainous samples, while the total acidity was higher in the mountain honeys (p<0.05). The altitude was significantly negatively correlated with HMF content, electrical conductivity, ash content, pH and organophosphorus pesticides.On the other hand, samples were found with organophosphoruspesticide residue levels exceeding the maximum residue limits (MRL ≥ 50 ng/g) imposed by the standard water (WHO). However, the photodegradation by solar light of organophosphorus pesticides in contaminated samples was efficient.