posted on 2022-01-13, 15:08authored byXinran Wang, Yi Li, Lanzhen Chen, Jinhui Zhou
A comprehensive liquid chromatography–mass
spectrometry
(LC–MS)-based metabolomics approach was developed to discriminate
honey harvested from Apis mellifera ligustica Spinola (A. mellifera) and Apis cerana cerana Fabricius (A. cerana). Based on an untargeted strategy, ultrahigh-performance liquid
chromatography electrospray ionization quadrupole orbitrap high-resolution
mass spectrometry (UPLC Q-Orbitrap) was combined with chemometrics
techniques to screen and identify tentative markers from A. mellifera and A. cerana honey. In targeted metabolomics analysis, a sensitive method of
solid-phase extraction followed by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography
coupled with triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS)
was established for quantifying three markers, and the results showed
that 3-amino-2-naphthoic acid and methyl indole-3-acetate could be
considered markers of A. cerana honey,
as they were present in higher amounts in A. cerana honey than in A. mellifera honey,
whereas kynurenic acid was determined to be a marker of A. mellifera honey. This work highlights critical
information for the authentication of A. cerana and A. mellifera honey.