Authentication of pure and adulterated Sumbawa monofloral honey using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy

Abstract

Sumbawa monofloral honey is one of the most expensive honeys in Indonesia. In this present study, ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy was utilized to discriminate between authentic pure Sumbawa monofloral honey and its adulterated one. The adulterated honey samples were created by intentionally mixing pure authentic Sumbawa monofloral honey with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) at a level of 10% (v/v). A total of 50 samples of pure and adulterated samples were prepared. The UV-vis spectral data of each sample were obtained by using a UV-vis spectrometer in the range of 190-1100 nm. The result of PCA (principal component analysis) using the first two PCs with the CEV (cumulative explained variance) of 93% shows that the pure and adulterated Sumbawa honey samples could be separated. All pure samples lied in the negative of PC1 (PC1<0) and all adulterated samples were in the positive of PC1 (PC1>0). In conclusion, this result suggested us the possible application of UV-vis spectroscopy for authentication of Sumbawa honey adulterated with HFCS in a simple and low-cost method.