Analysis of Hydroxymethylfurfural in Honey-Flavored Syrups by HPLC

The aim of this study was to develop and validate a rapid, simple and reliable high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for the accurate determination of hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in commercially available honey-flavored syrups. Analyses were performed using a reverse-phase HPLC system equipped with a 250 × 4.6 mm, 5 µm C18 column and a UV detector set at 284 nm. The mobile phase consisted of methanol and acetonitrile (10:90, v/v), delivered at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min-1. Under these conditions, HMF was quantified in less than 6 minutes, demonstrating the method’s efficiency and suitability for routine analysis. Method validation followed International Council for Harmonisation guidelines. The calibration curve showed linearity across 0.10-100 µg mL-1 with a correlation coefficient above 0.99. Precision values for both intra-day and inter-day measurements were below 2.37%, while accuracy showed relative error values under 0.87%. Recovery tests, conducted using the standard addition method on three honey-flavored syrups (GrinTuss, Biakaf, Bisolnatur), confirmed the method’s robustness. Overall, the developed HPLC procedure provides a straightforward, sensitive and highly reproducible approach for determining HMF levels, supporting quality control and safety assessment of honey-flavored pharmaceutical syrups. This ensures its applicability for routine monitoring in diverse quality control settings today