High-performance liquid chromatography of honey flavonoids

Abstract

Twenty flavonoid aglycones from honey were analysed by HPLC on reversed-phase columns. Different solvents were used in order to optimize the detection of those flavonoids which could be considered as markers for the floral origin of honey. None of the solvent systems used allowed the resolution of all the flavonoids from honey included in this analysis. The different solvent systems were then applied to the analysis of flavonoids from citrus and rosemary honeys. The methanol-water system permitted the separation of hesperetin, the marker of citrus honey, whereas the acetonitrile-water system was the best for the separation of all the flavanones and the detection of apigenin, the marker of rosemary honey. The presence of the flavone techtochrysin was also demonstrated in both honeys. The use of a diode-array detector proved very useful for studies of the floral origin of honey by HPLC flavonoid analysis.