Levels of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, furfural, 2-furoic acid in sapa syrup, Marsala wine and bakery products

In the last years, the attention to the potential carcinogenic effects of the 5-hydroxymethylfurfural in the human health is increased. This compound is used as a marker of honey adulteration and as an indication of thermal treatment of food containing sugars. In this study, we evaluated the content of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, furfural, 2-furoic acid, in sapa syrup, Marsala wines and bakery products containing sapa. Average levels of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural in sapa syrup were 2.3 ± 0.8 g/kg while in bakery products were 167 ± 133 mg/kg. Moreover, levels of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural in Marsala wine were 175 ± 150 mg/L. In addition, bakery products showed levels of furfural and furoic acid equal to 7.0 ± 4.5 and 48 ± 46 mg/kg, respectively, while furfural and furoic acid levels of 3.7 ± 1.7 and 27 ± 18 mg/L in Marsala wines. The present study suggested that 5-hydroxymethylfurfural can be used as a marker to fingerprint the use of sapa in food preparation. Abbreviations: DAD: diode array detector, F: furfural, FA: 2-furoic acid, HPLC: high performance liquid chromatography, HMF: 5-hydroxymethylfurfural; LOD: limit of detection, LOQ: limit of quantification, SMF: 5-sulfoxymethylfurfural, TCA: trichloroacetic acid.