Determination and Comparision of Hydroxymethylfurfural in Industrial and Traditional Date Syrup Products

Background: hydroxymethylfurfural (hmf) is a common maillard reaction product directlyformed from dehydration of sugars under acidic conditions during heating and storage incarbohydrate rich foods. the aim of the present study was to detect and quantify the amount ofhmf in date syrup by hplc method. in addition, the amount of hmf in date syrup produced bytraditional and industrial methods were compared.methods: a hplc method for determination of hmf in date syrup was developed andvalidated. the amount of hmf in date syrup products produced by the traditional and industrialmethods was compared. in addition, to determine whether hmf was produced during storagein date syrup, its amount was measured in fresh and old samples.results: the hmf content of fresh traditional products varied between 1000 to 2675 mg⁄kgand in the old products varied between 2580 to 6450 mg⁄kg. the hmf concentration of thefresh industrial products varied between 12 to 456 mg⁄kg and 611 to 943 mg⁄kg in the old ones.the hmf concentration of the traditionally produced products was significantly higher thanindustrial products (p<0.001). moreover, the hmf content in old products significantly was morethan fresh ones (p<0.001). wide variation was found in hmf content of the traditionallyproduced products.conclusion: hmf was produced in date syrup during preparation and storage. because hmfis recognized as an indicator of quality deterioration in a wide range of foods and is still underinvestigation for possible toxic effects, it is recommended that the amount of hmf is measuredin date syrup and considered as an indicator of the quality control of this product