AN HPLC TECHNIQUE FOR FLAVONOID ANALYSIS IN HONEY

A new technique for the analysis of flavonoids in honey has been developed. This uses filtration of honey through Amberlite-XAD-2 and purification of the flavonoid fraction by Sephadex LH-20. The flavonoid fraction is then analysed by HPLC. This technique allowed the identification of 16 flavonoids in honey, namely quercetin, kaempferol, 8-methoxykaempferol, quercetin 3-methyl ether, isorhamnetin, kaempferol 3-methyl ether, quercetin 3,3'-dimethyl ether, quercetin 3,7-dimethyl ether, galangin, luteolin, apigenin, genkwanin, chrysin, luteolin 7-methyl ether, pinocembrin and pinobanksin. The flavonoids present in ten samples of honey from La Alcarria have been HPLC analysed by this technique. The fact that the flavonoid patterns are very similar, suggests that samples from other areas should be examined in order to assess if this procedure could be useful as an adjunct in studies of the geographical origin of honey.