Response Surface Methodology to Optimize the Isolation of Dominant Volatile Compounds from Monofloral Greek Thyme Honey Using SPME-GC-MS

• Main Authors: Marinos Xagoraris, Alexandra Skouria, Panagiota-Kyriaki Revelou, Eleftherios Alissandrakis, Petros A. Tarantilis, Christos S. Pappas
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-06-01
• Series: Molecules
• Subjects: thyme honey; response surface methodology; optimization; volatiles; solid-phase microextraction
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/12/3612

This study aimed at an experimental design of response surface methodology (RSM) in the optimization of the dominant volatile fraction of Greek thyme honey using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). For this purpose, a multiple response optimization was employed using desirability functions, which demand a search for optimal conditions for a set of responses simultaneously. A test set of eighty thyme honey samples were analyzed under the optimum conditions for validation of the proposed model. The optimized combination of isolation conditions was the temperature (60 °C), equilibration time (15 min), extraction time (30 min), magnetic stirrer speed (700 rpm), sample volume (6 mL), water: honey ratio (1:3 <i>v</i>/<i>w</i>) with total desirability over 0.50. It was found that the magnetic stirrer speed, which has not been evaluated before, had a positive effect, especially in combination with other factors. The above-developed methodology proved to be effective in the optimization of isolation of specific volatile compounds from a difficult matrix, like honey. This study could be a good basis for the development of novel RSM for other monofloral honey samples.