Identification and Dosage of 2-Furaldehyde and 5-Hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde in Beverages by Reversed Phase Chromatography with a Microbore Column

Abstract

This paper reports the results of a study performed to develop a rapid and straightforward chromatographic method for the identification and dosage of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde (HMF) and 2-furaldehyde (FA), which are recognized indices of deteriorative changes in commercially processed food. The method employs a Supelco microbore reversed phase column (300 × 1.0 mm I.D.), eluted isocratically with a 94:6 (v/v) water/acetonitrile mixture at flow rate of 60 μL/min. Sample is detected at 280 nm in a micro flow cell of 300 nl. Peak purity and identification is assessed by comparing the UV spectra monitored at two points through the chromatographic peak in continuous flow mode in the range from 200 to 400 nm. This method is successfully applied to the identification and quantitative determination of HMF and FA in alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages by an internal standard method without any sample pretreatment.