Suitable areas for apiculture expansion determined by antioxidant power, chemical profiles, and pesticide residues in caldcluvia paniculata honey and beeswax samples

Abstract

Simple Summary Honey is biologically desirable for antioxidant powers and antiradical capacities. However, pesticide use in farming means that any nearby beehives might become contaminated with undesirable and often harmful compounds. Apart from considerations for bee and human health, producing pesticide-free honey is economically important for Chile, the primary export market of which is the regulation-strict European Union. In the present study, honey and beeswax samples were collected from the Los Lagos Region of Chile and subjected to chemical profiling (phenol contents via Folin-Ciocalteu method; antioxidant power via Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power Assay (FRAP) antiradical activity via 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl Assay (DPPH) and evaluations for pesticide residues (via HPLC-MS/MS and GS-MS). Forty-two samples of Tiaca Honey (Caldcluvia paniculata) obtained from beehives belonging to 14 apiaries (three honey samples per apiary) were collected at the end of January near Osorno (40 degrees 34 ' S, 73 degrees 8 ' W), Puyehue (40 degrees 40 ' S, 72 degrees 37 ' W) and Frutillar 41 degrees 7 ' S, 72 degrees 59 ' W) covering an area of 1240 km(2). They presented the highest phenol contents (0.36 mg gallic acid equivalent/kg) and antioxidant power (1.27 mM equivalent of Fe+2/g of sample), and were among the highest for antiradical activity. Phenol contents and antioxidant power (r = 0.72, p-value < 0.01) and total phenol contents and antiradical activity (r = 0.69; p-value < 0.01) displayed linear correlations. Only two beeswax samples showed residues of the pesticide fenhexamid. The respective sites (Purranque [40 degrees 55 ' S, 73 degrees 10 ' W] and Coligual [40 degrees 49 ' S, 72 degrees 54 ' W]) were the only areas located near active farms. Additionally, the m/z value 163.1091 was found as an element to identify honeys. Data were used to construct a mapped suitability index ranking for pesticide-free areas with high biological quality. The provided chemical profiles will aid local beekeepers in obtaining international certifications, particularly for the EU market. In turn, the constructed maps indicate suitable areas for apiculture expansion, while differentiated pesticide detection in honey and beeswax requires further comparative research.