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Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Evaluating the Effect of Environmental Chemicals on Honey Bee Development from the Individual to Colony Level
Published on: April 1, 2017
Carbohydrate composition of high-fructose corn syrups (HFCS) used for bee feeding: effect on honey composition
Ana Isabel Ruiz-Matute1, Milagra Weiss, Diana Sammataro
1Instituto de Química Orgánica General (CSIC), Madrid, Spain.
Abstract:
In this study, the carbohydrate composition of high-fructose corn syrups (HFCS) from commercial manufacturers as well as from beekeepers was characterized by GC-MS. Sucrose syrups (SS) were also included in this work for comparison. Fructosyl-fructoses and some unknown carbohydrates, which could correspond to fructosyl-glucoses, have been detected in HFCS for the first time, whereas SS were mainly characterized by the high contents of sucrose. Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) content of samples supplied by beekeepers was much more variable; the mean level of HMF was 64.61 ppm (+/-16.92 ppm, 95% CI ranging from 26.91 to 102.31 ppm). Syrups were used to feed caged bees and the resulting honeys produced were analyzed in order to determine their influence in carbohydrate composition. Fructosyl-fructoses were mainly detected in honeys from bees fed with HFCS, but not from those honeys coming from free-flying bees or bees fed with SS.
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