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Detection of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural Levels in Selected Chinese Foods by Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatograph Analytical Method

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Abstract

In this study, an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed to detection the levels of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural (HMF) in 227 selected food products obtained from the Chinese markets. The performance of the analysis method was evaluated by some quality parameters such as limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), linearity, recovery, and run-to-run (n = 6) and day-to-day (n = 18) precisions. The LOD and the LOQ of the method in different food matrices ranged from 0.15 to 0.50 and from 0.35 to 1.20 mg kg−1, respectively. The results from this study showed that HMF was mostly detected in all samples selected. HMF contents in different samples varied greatly according to the raw materials and processing conditions. The highest level of HMF was found in preserved fruits and ground coffee, with average levels of 409.6 and 409.9 mg kg−1, respectively. Preliminary estimates of HMF exposure from foods in the Chinese population was estimated to be 0.12 mg kg−1 body weight day−1, which is relatively low compared with the result reported by JECFA and European Food Safety Authority.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Fund of National Basic Research Program of China (“973” Program, 2012CB720805), National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (“863” Project, 2011AA100806), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation Special Funded Project (201104527), and Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars of Heping Campus of Jilin University (4305050102Q9). Accordingly, the authors gratefully acknowledge the funds support.

Conflict of Interest

Zhang Huanjie declares that she has no conflict of interest. Wei Lu declares that she has no conflict of interest. Liu Jingbo declares that she has no conflict of interest. Lin Songyi declares that she has no conflict of interest. Yuan Yuan declares that she has no conflict of interest. This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects. Yuan Yuan has received research grants from The Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, and Jilin University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Quartermaster Technology, Jilin University, Changchun, 130062, China

    Huanjie Zhang, Lu Wei & Yuan Yuan

  2. Laboratory of Nutrition and Functional Food, Jilin University, Changchun, 130062, China

    Jingbo Liu & Songyi Lin

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  1. Huanjie Zhang
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  2. Lu Wei
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  3. Jingbo Liu
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  4. Songyi Lin
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  5. Yuan Yuan
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Correspondence to Yuan Yuan.

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Zhang, H., Wei, L., Liu, J. et al. Detection of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural Levels in Selected Chinese Foods by Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatograph Analytical Method. Food Anal. Methods 7, 181–188 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12161-013-9616-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12161-013-9616-6

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