Validation of analytical method for (E)-2-decenedioic acid quantification in honey samples

[Display omitted] •Establishment of marker compound ((E)-2-decenedioic acid) that can distinguish natural honey and sugar-fed honey.•Establishment of an analytical method for (E)-2-decenedioic acid in honeys by UPLC.•Validation of the UPLC method by linearity, limit of detection, limit of quantification, precision and accuracy tests.•More amount in sugar-fed honey compared to natural honey contend (E)-2-decenedioic acid. Natural honey is a highly sought-after product owing to its biological uniqueness. We developed a suitable analytical method for the quantitative analysis of (E)-2-decenedioic acid in Korean natural and sugar-fed honey samples. A total of 258 honey samples were screened using ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) for the detection and quantification of (E)-2-decenedioic acid. (E)-2-decenedioic acid was present in high concentrations (122–127 mg/kg) in sugar-fed honey but only in trace amounts (10.9–14.8 mg/kg) in natural honey. Findings indicate that the UPLC method is suitable and reliable for the quantitative evaluation of (E)-2-decenedioic acid in honey. We expect that this method will be applicable for detecting honey adulteration.