Evaluation of four isolation techniques for honey aroma compounds

The analysis of the volatile fraction of honey provides useful information for the determination of the botanical and geographical origin. However, the results obtained vary greatly upon the extraction procedure employed. Four different isolation techniques were compared, that is hydrodistillation (HD), micro-simultaneous steam distillation-solvent extraction (MSDE), ultrasound-assisted extraction (USE) and solid-phase microextraction (SPME). From the data obtained, USE and SPME seem to be more suitable for the isolation of potent marker compounds. HD and MSDE have main drawbacks because of the drastic conditions used that lead to the formation of artefacts and the degradation of sensitive compounds. These drawbacks are avoided when employing USE and SPME. (C) 2004 Society of Chemical Industry.