Single laboratory validation of a method for the determination of hydroxymethylfurfural in honey by using solid-phase...

A method is described for the determination of hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in honey. The method, which is based on solid-phase extraction cleanup followed by liquid chromatography (LC) with UV absorbance detection, was tested on a variety of different honey types: liquid, set, blended, filtered, crystalline, and comb honey. A sample of honey fortified with a known amount of HMF acted as an in-house reference material. LC with diode-array detection showed that the HMF peak did not contain any peaks of coeluting interfering species. Stability studies showed that honey samples should not be repeatedly frozen and thawed because the temperature changes caused a gradual increase in the HMF concentration. It was also shown that aqueous HMF standard solutions should be kept in the dark at 4 degrees C to avoid degradation of the HMF. The method was internally validated, and the measurement uncertainty was estimated to be +/-9.0 at 40 mg/kg, the legal limit. A comparison of the relative standard uncertainty with the Horwitz relative standard deviation showed that the method was suitable for its purpose and should be validated by a collaborative trial.