RAPID DETECTION OF 5-(HYDROXYMETHYL)-2-FURFURAL IN PARENTERAL SOLUTIONS WITH HIGH-PERFORMANCE THIN-LAYER CHROMATOGRAPHY

A rapid method, with minimum sample preparation, has been developed for detection of 5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-furfural (5-HMF) in dextrose- containing antibiotic parenteral solutions. High performance thin layer chromatography and scanning densitometry were used to detect 5-HMF at levels as low as 1 ng. Three separate commercial frozen antibiotic formulations were tested, and no evidence was found for the presence of 5- HMF in the thawed solutions. Typical recoveries of > 94 % (1-2 ppm 5-HMF), and inter-experiment coefficients of variation of 1-3 % were routinely obtained. Recovery was found to diminish at higher concentrations of 5-HMF (2-35 ppm) in the presence of the antibiotic matrix, and may be attributed to a saturation effect of the layer. The high throughput and sensitivity of the method suggest wide application to a variety of dextrose-containing parenteral solutions which require 5-HMF testing.