Investigations of Major α-Dicarbonyl Content in U.S. Honey of Different Geographical Origins

&alpha:-Dicarbonyls are significant degradation products resulting from the Maillard reaction during food processing. Their presence in foods can indicate the extent of heat exposure, processing treatments, and storage conditions. Moreover, they may be useful in providing insights into the potential antibacterial and antioxidant activity of U.S. honey. Despite their importance, the occurrence of &alpha:-dicarbonyls in honey produced in the United States has not been extensively studied. This study aims to assess the concentrations of &alpha:-dicarbonyls in honey samples from different regions across the United States. The identification and quantification of &alpha:-dicarbonyls were conducted using reverse-phase liquid chromatography after derivatization with o-phenylenediamine (OPD) and detected using ultraviolet (UV) and mass spectrometry methods. This study investigated the effects of pH, color, and derivatization reagent on the presence of &alpha:-dicarbonyls in honey. The quantification method was validated by estimating the linearity, precision, recovery, method limit of detection, and quantification using known standards for GO, MGO, and 3-DG, respectively. Three major OPD-derivatized &alpha:-dicarbonyls including methylglyoxal (MGO), glyoxal (GO), and 3-deoxyglucosone (3-DG), were quantified in all the honey samples. 3-Deoxyglucosone (3-DG) was identified as the predominant &alpha:-dicarbonyl in all the U.S. honey samples, with concentrations ranging from 10.80 to 50.24 mg/kg. The total &alpha:-dicarbonyl content ranged from 16.81 to 55.74 mg/kg, with the highest concentration measured for Southern California honey. Our results showed no significant correlation between the total &alpha:-dicarbonyl content and the measured pH solutions. Similarly, we found that lower amounts of the OPD reagent are optimal for efficient derivatization of MGO, GO, and 3-DG in honey. Our results also indicated that darker types of honey may contain higher &alpha:-dicarbonyl content compared with lighter ones. The method validation results yielded excellent recovery rates for 3-DG (82.5%), MGO (75.8%), and GO (67.0%). The method demonstrated high linearity with a limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) ranging from 0.0015 to 0.002 mg/kg and 0.005 to 0.008 mg/kg, respectively. Our results provide insights into the occurrence and concentrations of &alpha:-dicarbonyl compounds in U.S. honey varieties, offering valuable information on their quality and susceptibility to thermal processing effects.