Rapid authentication of mono-floral honeys by capillary zone electrophoresis

Protein is the most important characteristic component of honey. The types and content of proteins in different kinds of honey are imparity, but those in the same kind of honey are very similar. Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method, used to detect proteins, was developed for authenticating of four mono-floral honeys (n = 45), including medlar honey, chaste honey, jujube honey and locust honey. Electrophoresis conditions including capillary inner diameter (50–70 μm), pH (2.5–9), the concentration of anionic surfactant (0.3–0.5 mmol L−1), injection time (3–7 s) and separation voltage (3–7 KV) were optimized. The results showed that the honey sample was highly stable and the detection limit was 10%, the relative standard deviation of retention time and peak area were lower than 1.40% and 1.76%, respectively. The CZE fingerprints were established on the basis of different protein characteristics in different mono-floral honeys combined with chemometric analysis. All 45 honeys could be correctly identified according to their floral origins. This method does not need to confirm the type of protein, and has the advantages of simple and fast verification of the authenticity of honey.