A useful strategy based on chromatographic data combined with quality-by-design approach for food analysis applications. The case study of furanic derivatives in sugarcane honey

• Published in: Journal of Chromatography A 2017-10, Vol.1520, p.117-126
• Main Authors: Silva, Pedro, Silva, Catarina L., Perestrelo, Rosa, Nunes, Fernando M., Câmara, José S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Furanic derivatives; MEPS; Quality-by-design; Sugarcane honey; UHPLC-PDA
• ISSN: 0021-9673
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2017.09.019

•An improved MEPS/UHPLC-based approach has been set up for the assay of furanics.•Quality by Design principles have been applied for method development.•The method has the advantages of simplicity, low amounts of organic solvents and high efficiency.•Useful analytical tool for sugarcane honey authenticity based on target analysis. Sugarcane honey (SCH) is one of the Madeira Island products par excellence and it is now popular worldwide. Its sui generis and peculiar sensory properties, explained by a variety of volatile compounds including furanic derivatives (FDs), arise mainly from manufacturing and storage conditions. A simple high-throughput approach based on semi-automatic microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS) combined with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) was developed and validated for identification and quantification of target FDs in sugarcane honey. A Quality-by-Design (QbD) approach was used as a powerful strategy to optimize analytical conditions for high throughput analysis of FDs in complex sugar-rich food matrices. The optimum point into MEPS-Method Operable Design: Region (MODR) was obtained with R-CX sorbent, acetonitrile (ACN) as elution solvent, three loading cycles and 500μL of sample volume. The optimum point into UHPLC-MODR was obtained with a CORTECS column operating at a temperature of 50°C, ACN as eluent and a flow rate of 125μLmin−1. The robustness was demonstrated by Monte Carlo simulation and capability analysis for estimation of residual errors. The concentration-response relationship for all FDs were described by polynomial function models, being confirmed by Fisher variance (F-test). The% recoveries were in a range of 91.9-112.1%. Good method precision was observed, yielding relative standard deviations (RSDs) less than 4.9% for repeatability and 8.8% for intermediate precision. The limits of quantitation for the analytes ranged from 30.6 to 737.7μgkg−1. The MEPSR-CX/UHPLCCORTECS-PDA method revealed an effective and potential analytical tool for SCH authenticity control based on target analysis of FDs allowing a strict control and differentiation from other similar or adulterated products.