Development and validation of HPTLC method for determination of sugar profiles of honey and its syrup adulterants

Honey is a natural sweet product of honeybees widely consumed by people as both a food and a medicine. It is mainly composed of carbohydrates, primarily fructose and glucose, followed by sucrose and other oligosaccharides present in lower quantity. Due to its nutritional and health benefits and relatively high price, honey is frequently subjected to adulteration either by addition of sugar syrups or cheaper and lower quality honey, or by mislabeling of declaration. Numerous analytical methods, such as chromatographic, spectroscopic, isotopic, and electrochemical, have been developed to detect honey adulterants.[1] Application of thin-layer chromatography (TLC) in the detection of syrup adulterants is limited due to the hydrolysis of polysaccharides and a presence of false positive components such as smaller oligosaccharides (from 3 to 6 monosaccharide units). However, with the development of high-performance layers and sophisticated instrumentation, high-performance TLC (HPTLC) should become a method of choice in determination of honey authenticity