5-HMF and carbohydrates content in stingless bee honey by CE before and after thermal treatment

•Study of the effects of thermal treatment on the formation of 5-HMF and sugars.•Thermal treatment was optimised using full factorial design 22 with central point.•Intralaboratory analytical method validation was performed according Eurachem.•Results suggest a possible resistance to 5-HMF formation in stingless bee honey. This study aimed to assess 5-hydroximethylfurfural and carbohydrates (fructose, glucose, and sucrose) in 13 stingless bee honey samples before and after thermal treatment using a capillary electrophoresis method. The methods were validated for the parameters of linearity, matrix effects, precision, and accuracy. A factorial design was implemented to determine optimal thermal treatment conditions and then verify the postprocedural 5-HMF formation, but once 5-HMF were