Using 128 samples of 9 floral honeys and 14 samples of high fructose corn syrup (HF) which could be classified into 4 groups, a method was investigated to detect HF in honey from patterns of oligosaccharide components by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with reverse phase system column.
(1) By the HPLC procedure, saccharide components in HF were separated into more than 10 peaks shown in order of molecular weight. Oligosaccharides corresponding to peaks No. 2 and No. 3, which eluted comparatively rapidly, were not detected in any floral honey except horse chestnut ones.
(2) The contents of oligosaccharides corresponding to peaks No. 2 and No. 3 were more than about 10mg/100g (as melezitose) in general HF and HF contained sucrose, maltose or conventional corn syrup, while it was as low as about 4mg/100g (as melezitose) or less in highly purified HF.
(3) Based on the above results, a method was proposed to detect HF in honey using HPLC. The method can detect HF in adulterated honey, whose source is designated as anyplant except horse chestnut, by a simple procedure of injecting the aqueous sample solution into HPLC column. The detection limit of this method is as low as 10% or less for general HF, but it is difficult to estimate quantitatively the mixed ratio of HF.
