A direct RP-HPLC method for the determination of furanic aldehydes and acids in honey

In this study 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde (HMF), 2-furaldehyde, 3-furaldehyde, 2-furoic acid and
3-furoic acid are contemporarily determined in honey using a swift and direct RP-HPLC approach. The
validation protocol was performed in terms of detection and quantification limits, precision (by repeatability
and reproducibility), linearity and accuracy (by recovery tests); the acceptability of the precision
and accuracy resultswas positively verified using Horwitz’s model and AOAC guidelines, respectively. The
method was tested on 18 honey samples of different ages, and botanical and geographical origin. HMF
and 2-furaldehyde correlated highly with the age of the samples, whereas no correlation was observed
with regards to 2-furaldehyde and 2-furoic acid. Hypotheses relating to the formation of minority furanic
compounds are also proposed.