Determination of hydroxymethylfurfural in Turkish honeys, pekmez (grape molasses), and jam samples by high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection

Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is a chemical contaminant that is not naturally present in carbohydrate‐containing food samples. The HMF amounts were changed between 4.8 and 214.1 mg/kg in honey; between 7.8 and 204.0 mg/kg in pekmez (grape molasses); between 5.9 and 22.4 mg/kg in strawberry jam; between 6.0 and 65.4 mg/kg in apricot jam; and between 9.2 and 55.9 mg/kg in cherry found by HPLC. The linear calibration plot of HMF was ranged from 0.05 to 10.0 μg/ml. The correlation coefficient was found to be 0.99997. LOD and LOQ values were found to be 12.0 and 40.0 ng/ml, respectively. According to the experimental results, HMF amounts of four honey samples, three pekmez (grape molasses) samples, one apricot jam, and one cherry jam for investigated samples were found to be higher than the permission amount of Turkish Food Codex. Novelty impact statement Based on experimental results in this study, if the honey is in a transparent package such as a glass, it should be stored in a dark environment. It would be healthier to prefer molasses produced by reliable brands at low temperatures under vacuum instead of molasses made with traditional methods in open boilers. Generally, since jams with high HMF amount have an overcooked or even burnt flavor, this is an extremely negative situation for consumers.