This page provides a straightforward method to perform water content analysis in honey with an EVA V1 volumetric Karl Fischer titrator using a one-component KF-titrant.
By downloading this application package, you will receive a PDF of the application note as well as the required data for the LabX™ titration software method.
Why determine water content in honey?
Pure honey contains different components along with sugar as the major component. Higher water content in honey can lead the sugars to crystallize, hindering its ability to flow properly. Also, the presence of water in honey can lead to microbial contamination leading to yeast fermentation during storage.
What is one-component and two-component KF titration?
For Karl Fischer titration analysis, either one component or two component are used depending upon the needs of the analysis. In a one-component KF analysis, all the necessary reactants needed for the reaction like sulfur dioxide, a base, and iodine dissolved in an appropriate alcohol, are present in one solution. For two-component KF analysis, sulfur dioxide and a base in methanol form a solvent while iodine in methanol forms a titrant.
Why use methanol-formamide solvent mixture for the water content analysis in honey?
Honey is not easily soluble in methanol. Therefore, to obtain absolute solubilization of honey, an auxiliary solvent like formamide is added to methanol in the titration cell. Thus, the trapped water molecules within the sample matrix are released and titrated by the KF titrator.
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