Kinetics of conversion of dihydroxyacetone to methylglyoxal in New Zealand mānuka honey: Part IV - Formation of HMF.

During a study of the conversion of dihydroxyacetone (DHA) to methylglyoxal (MGO) in maturing New Zealand mānuka honey, the kinetics of formation of 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF) was studied at temperatures from 4 to 37°C. Formation of HMF was first-order during an induction period and zero-order thereafter indicating that the mechanism includes the formation of certain critical intermediates and that these require time to build up; the duration of the induction period depended primarily upon temperature. The zero-order rate constant at 37°C was the same for mānuka honey and clover honey doped with 2000 or 10,000mg/kg DHA and for artificial honey with 2000mg/kg of DHA and either alanine or proline and alanine added. Zero-order rate constants for artificial honey with added amino acids were less than for a control without amino acids. A simulation was created to predict the formation of HMF over time at 37°C in mānuka honey.