3.2.6. Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF)

The HMF values of local honey (Table 3) and imported honey (Table 4) samples were lower than the standard limit (≤40 mg/kg) provided in the international standards [9] GSO [10]. The HMF values were significantly different among samples of individual honey type (Tables 3 and 4). The HMF value of local honey ranged from 0.0 ± 0.0 to 29.2 ± 1.7 mg/kg (mean = 3.8 ± 1.5 mg/kg). The HMF value of imported honey ranged from 2.0 ± 0.0 mg/kg to 85 ± 2.1 mg/kg (mean = 23.0 ± 5.0 mg/kg) (Tables 3 and 5). Three imported honey samples (PAS2, PAS4, and PAS6) had exceptional HMF values (67 ± 0.0, 42 ± 0.6, and 85 ± 2.1, respectively) (Table 4) that exceeded the standard limit (≤40 mg/kg). The mean HMF value was significantly lower in local honey samples (3.8 ± 1.5 mg/kg) than that of imported honey samples (23 ± 5.0 mg/kg) (Table 5).
