Conclusion
In the present work, an indicator peak of starch syrup on HPLC chromatograms was found valid for honey adulteration detection with a detectable syrup content near 2.5% (w/w), which is lower than that of both SCIRA method 7% (AOAC, 2005) and TLC method 10% (AOAC, 1988). According to the height of this syrup indicator peak, syrup content in the adulterated honeys can be calculated out approximately. Especially, the proposed HPLC method can detect both C4 and C3 starch syrup in honey. However, SCIRA
method was only valid for the detection of C4 starch syrup in honey. In addition to the increased accuracy for honey adulteration detection, the proposed new HPLC method was simple, low cost and easy practice for honey product quality control by government departments considering the popularity of HPLC device and technology.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the research project 2010QK010 funded by AQSIQ (General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China).