Rapid analysis of bioactive compounds from citrus samples by direct analysis in real-time mass spectrometry combined with chemometrics.

Renowned for their nutritional benefits, citrus fruits are harvested at various stages in China for functional food production. This study introduces an innovative analytical method, DART-MS, enabling direct qualitative analysis of citrus samples without the need for preprocessing. Simultaneously, the combination of chemometrics can be applied to distinguish between three different citrus samples: Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium, Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium Viride, and Citri Reticulatae "Chachi". Notably, given the international regulatory concerns surrounding synephrine, a precise quantitative analysis method for synephrine was developed. The limit of detection (LOD) and the limit of quantification (LOQ) were 39 ng mL-1 and 156 ng mL-1, respectively. The recovery rates obtained varied from 98.46% to 100.71%. Furthermore, the intra-day and inter-day precision demonstrated robust consistency, with values spanning 5.0-6.1% and 5.03-6.08%, respectively, offering quicker results compared to those from HPLC-MS, promising a safer assessment of herbal and food products.

Stachydrine, a Bioactive Equilibrist for Synephrine, Identified from Four Citrus Chinese Herbs.

Four Chinese herbs from the Citrus genus, namely Aurantii Fructus Immaturus (Zhishi), Aurantii Fructus (Zhiqiao), Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium Viride (Qingpi) and Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (Chenpi), are widely used for treating various cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases. Many ingredients have already been identified from these herbs, and their various bioactivities provide some interpretations for the pharmacological functions of these herbs. However, the complex functions of these herbs imply undisclosed cholinergic activity. To discover some ingredients with cholinergic activity and further clarify possible reasons for the complex pharmacological functions presented by these herbs, depending on the extended structure-activity relationships of cholinergic and anti-cholinergic agents, a simple method was established here for quickly discovering possible choline analogs using a specific TLC method, and then stachydrine and choline were first identified from these Citrus herb decoctions based on their NMR and HRMS data. After this, two TLC scanning (TLCS) methods were first established for the quantitative analyses of stachydrine and choline, and the contents of the two ingredients and synephrine in 39 samples were determined using the valid TLCS and HPLC methods, respectively. The results showed that the contents of stachydrine (3.04‱) were 2.4 times greater than those of synephrine (1.25‱) in Zhiqiao and about one-third to two-thirds of those of Zhishi, Qingpi and Chenpi. Simultaneously, the contents of stachydrine, choline and synephrine in these herbs present similar decreasing trends with the delay of harvest time; e.g., those of stachydrine decrease from 5.16‱ (Zhishi) to 3.04‱ (Zhike) and from 1.98‱ (Qingpi) to 1.68‱ (Chenpi). Differently, the contents of synephrine decrease the fastest, while those of stachydrine decrease the slowest. Based on these results, compared with the pharmacological activities and pharmacokinetics reported for stachydrine and synephrine, it is indicated that stachydrine can be considered as a bioactive equilibrist for synephrine, especially in the cardio-cerebrovascular protection from these citrus herbs. Additionally, the results confirmed that stachydrine plays an important role in the pharmacological functions of these citrus herbs, especially in dual-directionally regulating the uterus, and in various beneficial effects on the cardio-cerebrovascular system, kidneys and liver.

p-Synephrine Indicates Internal Maturity of Citrus grandis (L.) Osbeck cv. Mato Peiyu-Reclaiming Functional Constituents from Nonedible Parts.

The processing of Citrus grandis Osbeck cv. Mato Peiyu (CGMP) fruits generates a considerable amount of waste, mainly the flavedo, albedo, and segment membrane; the generated waste yields severe environmental and economic challenges. In this study, we tried to reclaim some functional chemicals from the waste. Our data indicated that the essential oil content in the flavedo was 0.76-1.34%, with the major component being monoterpenes (93.75% in August, declining to 85.56% in November, including mainly limonene (87.08% to 81.12%) and others such as ß-myrcene). p-Synephrine (mg/100 g dry weight) declined accordingly (flavedo, 10.40 to 2.00; albedo, 1.80 to 0.25; segment membrane, 0.3 in August, 0.2 in September, and none since October). Polyphenols (in µg/g) included gallic acid (70.32-110.25, 99.27-252.89, and 105.78-187.36, respectively); protocatechuic acid (65.32-204.94, 26.35-72.35, and 214.98-302.65, respectively), p-coumaric acid (30.63-169.13, 4.32-17.00, and 6.68-34.32, respectively), ferulic acid (12.36-39.36, 1.21-10.25, and 17.07-39.63, respectively), and chlorogenic acid (59.19-199.36, 33.08-108.57, and 65.32-150.14, respectively). Flavonoids (in µg/g) included naringin (flavedo, 89.32-283.19), quercetin (181.05-248.51), nobiletin (259.75-563.7), hesperidin, and diosmin. The phytosterol content (mg/100 g) was 12.50-44.00 in the flavedo. The total dietary fiber in the segment membrane was 57 g/100 g. The antioxidant activity against the DPPH• and ABTS+• free radicals was moderately high. In conclusion, the waste of CGMP fruits is worth reclaiming for essential oil, p-synephrine, polyphenolics, and dietary fiber. Notably, p-synephrine content (flavedo: <8 mg/100 g dry weight, albedo: <2.0, or segment membrane: <0.4 mg) can serve as a marker of the internal maturation of CGMP fruits.

Identification and determination of chemical constituents of Citrus reticulata semen through ultra high performance liquid chromatography combined with Q Exactive Orbitrap tandem mass spectrometry.

Citrus reticulata semen, a traditional Chinese medicinal material, has desirable medicinal and dietary properties. In this study, a method combining ultra high performance liquid chromatography with Q Exactive Orbitrap tandem mass spectrometry was established and validated for the identification and analysis of the chemical components of C. reticulata semen for the first time. The evaluation of different retention times and fragmentation characteristics, as well as comparative analysis with the literature, resulted in the identification of 35 chemical constituents, including 21 flavonoids and 14 other compounds. The 21 flavonoids derived from C. reticulata semen were reported for the first time. Seven of the chemical components of C. reticulata semen were quantitatively analyzed using the developed method under the optimal conditions. The results showed that the content of limonin, hesperidin, nobiletin, synephrine, tangeretin, 3,5,6,7,8,3',4'-heptamethoxyflavone and 5-hydroxide-6,7,8,3',4'-pentamethoxyflavone in C. reticulata semen was 11.1666, 0.0404, 0.0092, 0.0255, 0.0087, 0.0010, and 0.0008 mg/g, respectively. This study demonstrated that the ultra high performance liquid chromatography Q Exactive Orbitrap mass spectrometry based method can be used to rapidly and reliably analyze the chemical constituents of C. reticulata semen. These results provide a scientific basis for further studies of C. reticulata semen.

Determination of synephrine in feeds by a novel quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe solid-phase extraction method combined with UHPLC-MS/MS.

To detect and quantify synephrine in feed, an effective analytical method based on quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe solid-phase extraction coupled to ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry was developed with isotopic internal standards. Pretreatment was performed using quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe solid-phase extraction with primary secondary amine and C18 sorbent as sorbents in combination with Oasis MCX column clean-up to extract and purify feed samples. Tandem mass spectrometry detection in positive ion mode was conducted in positive multiple reaction monitoring mode in addition to the quantitative internal standard method. Two transitions of synephrine at m/z 168.1/150.0 and 168.1/135.0 were selected, and m/z 168.1/135.0 was determined as the quantification ion pair. D9 -Terbutaline was selected as an internal standard, for which m/z 235.1/153.0 was selected as the quantification ion pair. Good linearity was shown for synephrine in the range of 0.5-50 µg/L, and the correlation coefficient exceeded 0.999. The recoveries in three different feed samples at three spiked levels were 81.42-112.08%, and the relative standard deviations were not greater than 14.66%. The method proposed in this study was reliable and highly effective, and its sensitivity, accuracy, and precision are suitable for determining synephrine residues in feed samples.

Identification and Comparison of Constituents of Aurantii Fructus and Aurantii Fructus Immaturus by UFLC-DAD-Triple TOF-MS/MS.

Although Aurantii Fructus (AF) and Aurantii Fructus Immaturus (AFI) are both the fruits of the same rutaceae plant at different stages of growth, they exert similar yet distinct clinical effects. The chemical composition is crucial for quality control as well as therapeutic application. To address this concern, it is significant to evaluate the similarities and differences of the constituents in both AF and AFI. The extract of AF and AFI were comprehensively analyzed by ultra fast liquid chromatography-photodiode array detector-triple-time of flight-tandem mass spectrometry (UFLC-DAD-Triple TOF-MS/MS). Among the 40 compounds detected, 19 metabolites were detected in both the AF and AFI; whereas 13 compounds were only detected in AF and five constituents were exclusively detected in AFI. In particular, even in AFI, three compounds were only identified in AFI (Citrus aurantium' L. and its cultivar). Among the 18 compounds confirmed by standard database, 13 compounds were reported in AF and AFI for the first time. Furthermore, the distinction was also revealed by the content of naringin, hesperidin, neohesperidin, and synephrine. The study directly contributed to the similarities and differences of AF and AFI. Herein, similarities and the differences in chemical profiles of AF and AFI could explain the current clinical applications.

Variability of Stimulant Levels in Nine Sports Supplements Over a 9-Month Period.

Many studies have found that some dietary supplement product labels do not accurately reflect the actual ingredients. However, studies have not been performed to determine if ingredients in the same dietary supplement product vary over time. The objective of this study was to assess the consistency of stimulant ingredients in popular sports supplements sold in the United States over a 9-month period. Three samples of nine popular sports supplements were purchased over the 9-month period. The 27 samples were analyzed for caffeine and several other stimulants (including adulterants). The identity and quantity of stimulants were compared with stimulants listed on the label and stimulants found at earlier time points to determine the variability in individual products over the 9-month period. The primary outcome measure was the variability of stimulant amounts in the products examined. Many supplements did not contain the same number and quantity of stimulants at all time points over the 9-month period. Caffeine content varied widely in five of the six caffeinated supplements compared with the initial measurement (-7% to +266%). In addition, the stimulants-synephrine, octopamine, cathine, ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, strychnine, and methylephedrine-occurred in variable amounts in eight of the nine products. The significance of these findings is uncertain: the sample size was insufficient to support statistical analysis. In our sample of nine popular sports supplements, the presence and quantity of stimulants varied over a 9-month period. However, future studies are warranted to determine if the variability found is significant and generalizable to other supplements.

[Determination of the active constituents in aurantii fructus from Jiangxi province at different harvest time by HPLC].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the contents of the main active constituents in Aurantii Fructus from Jiangxi at different harvest time and make sure the best harvest time. METHODS: RP-HPLC was used to assay the active constituents (including naringin, neohesperidin, synephrine, nobiletin, tangeretin, meranzin hydrate, meranzin, marmin and auraptene) contents in the Aurantii Fructus at different harvest periods from Xingan and Zhangshu countries. RESULTS: The trend of the contents of those active constituents was basically decreased as the day trailing. CONCLUSION: The best harvest time of Aurantii Fructus from Jiangxi is about the Great Heat.

[Determination of synephrine and arecoline contents in Xiao'er Xiaoji Zhike oral liquid].

OBJECTIVE: To develop a HPLC method for the determination of synephrine and arecoline contents in Xiao'er Xiaoji Zhike oral liquid. METHOD: The analysis was performed on a Symmetry C18 column (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm) eluted with acetonitrile-methanol-0.1% acetic acid solution (containing potassium dihydrogen phosphate 0.6 g and SDS 1.0 g per 1 000 mL) (15: 30: 55) as mobile phase. The detection wavelength was set at 215 nm. RESULT: The synephrine and arecoline concentrations had good linear relationship between 0.281 5-2.815 and 0.040 16-0.401 6 microg (r > 0.999 7), and the average recoveries of the two compounds were 97.1% (RSD 1.4%) and 100% (RSD 1.3%), respectively. CONCLUSION: The method is simple, accurate and sensitive.

Racemic synephrine found in Citrus aurantium-listing pre-workout supplements suggests a non-plant-based origin.

Multi-ingredient pre-workout supplements (MIPS) contain Citrus aurantium as a source of bioactive amines such as p-synephrine, but concerns regarding the authenticity of ingredients in some supplements as well as adverse effects from consumption have been raised. R-(-)-Synephrine is the predominant enantiomer in Citrus aurantium extracts while synthetic preparations are often racemic. The aims of this study were to develop a screening method to determine the ratio of synephrine enantiomers in pre-workout supplements listing Citrus aurantium and to assess the ingredient authenticity by directly comparing their ratios to that found in Citrus aurantium standardised reference materials (SRMs). Quantification of enantiomers in the supplements and SRMs was achieved using a validated, high-performance liquid chromatography-single quadrupole mass spectrometry (HPLC-UV-QDa) direct enantioseparation method with a cellobiohydrolase (CBH) column (100 × 4.0 mm, 5 µM) and UV detection at 225 nm. Citrus aurantium SRMs were found to have an average enantiomeric ratio of 94:6 (R:S) with total synephrine ranging from 5.7 to 90.2 mg/g. Within the pilot sample of pre-workout supplements tested, only 42% (5/12) had enantiomeric ratios consistent with the SRMs with total synephrine ranging from 0.03 to 91.2 mg/g. For the remaining supplements, four had racemic ratios of synephrine (0.14 to 5.4 mg/g), two lacked any detectable levels of synephrine, and one had solely the S-(+)-enantiomer (0.15 mg/g). These results bring the authenticity of labelling of some pre-workout supplements into question and highlight the need for more stringent labelling regulations and testing for dietary supplements.

The determination of common anabolic steroid and stimulants in nutritional supplements by HPLC-DAD and LC-MS.

A high-performance liquid chromatography method employing a diode-array detector and mass spectrometry detector was developed, validated and implemented for determining Synephrine, Caffeine, Clenbuterol, Nandrolone, Testosterone and Methylhexaneamine in Nutritional supplements. The use of Nutritional supplements is widespread. Hazards relating to concentration, composition, individual contaminants, supplements interactions as well as positive doping results among athletes present increasing concerns regarding nutritional supplement consuming. The proposed method was validated according to the International Conference on the Harmonization of the Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) standards. The proposed method observed to be accurate, linear, precise, sensitive, required minimal sample preparation and uncomplicated mobile phase. The implementation of the proposed method on nine commercial supplements shows that inaccurate labeling for some supplements regarding the concentration of the ingredients.

Selectivity and potential interference from phenolic compounds in chemiluminescence methods for the determination of synephrine.

Three recently reported chemiluminescence methods (based on reactions with alkaline luminol and hexacyanoferrate(III); acidic cerium(IV) and rhodamine B; and acidic permanganate with polyphosphates) for the determination of synephrine were re-evaluated in terms of their selectivity towards this analyte in comparison to other phenolic compounds. A fourth reagent system, acidic soluble manganese(IV) and formaldehyde, was also examined. Each set of reagents was sensitive towards synephrine (limits of detection were 3 x 10(-9), 5 x 10(-8), 1 x 10(-8) and 1 x 10(-8) mol/L, respectively) but also responded with numerous other phenolic compounds, including some that are present in citrus fruit extracts, dietary supplements and/or biological fluids. It is therefore recommended that the determination of synephrine in these matrices should incorporate physical separation of sample components (e.g. chromatography or electrophoresis). In more general terms, this study illustrates that accurate percentage recoveries for an analyte in spiked samples (without validation against another analytical method) are insufficient to confirm the analytical utility of new flow-injection analysis (FIA) procedures.

Sensitive determination of norepinephrine, synephrine, and isoproterenol by capillary electrophoresis with indirect electrochemiluminescence detection.

A new and sensitive method for the determination of norepinephrine (NE), synephrine, and isoproterenol was developed by CE separation and indirect electrochemiluminescence detection (ECL) based on their quenching effects on the tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)-ruthenium(II)/tripropylamine (TPA) system. The conditions for CE separation and ECL detection were investigated in detail. Under the optimum conditions, the three analytes were well separated within 9 min. The LODs (S/N = 3) in standard solution are 2.6 x 10(-8) mol/L for NE, 6.6 x 10(-9) mol/L for synephrine and 8.4 x 10(-8) mol/L for isoproterenol, respectively. The precisions of intraday and interday are less than 4.4 and 6.1%, respectively. The LOQs (S/N = 10) in real human urine samples are 2.6 x 10(-7) mol/L for NE, 8.8 x 10(-8 ) mol/L for synephrine, and 8.8 x 10(-7) mol/L for isoproterenol, respectively. The applicability of the proposed method was illustrated in the determination of 20 human urine samples from diabetic patients and healthy persons. The results obtained indicated that the level of NE in patients (mean value 0.41 micromol/L) was higher than that in healthy persons (mean value 0.24 micromol/L).

Concentrations of p-synephrine in fruits and leaves of Citrus species (Rutaceae) and the acute toxicity testing of Citrus aurantium extract and p-synephrine.

Dietary supplements containing bitter orange unripe fruit extract/p-synephrine are consumed worldwide for lose weight. This study were conducted to determine the concentration of p-synephrine in unripe fruits and leaves from Citrus aurantium Lin, C. sinensis Osbeck, C. deliciosa Ten, C. limon Burm and C. limonia Osbeck, collected in Southern Brazil, and to evaluate the acute toxicity of C. aurantium extract and p-synephrine. A high performance liquid chromatographic method with diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) was optimized and validated for determination of p-synephrine. The results indicate that all of analyzed samples present p-synephrine in amounts that range from 0.012% to 0.099% in the unripe fruits and 0.029 to 0.438% in the leaves. Acute oral administration of C. aurantium extracts (2.5% p-synephrine, 300-5,000 mg/kg) in mice produced reduction of locomotor activity, p-synephrine (150-2,000 mg/kg) produced piloerection, gasping, salivation, exophtalmia and reduction in locomotor activity, which was confirmed in spontaneous locomotor activity test. All the effects were reversible and persisted for 3-4h. The toxic effects observed seem to be related with adrenergic stimulation and should alert for possible side effects of p-synephrine and C. aurantium.

Determination of Bitter Orange alkaloids in dietary supplements standard reference materials by liquid chromatography with ultraviolet absorbance and fluorescence detection.

Four adrenergic amines [synephrine, octopamine, tyramine, and n-methyltyramine] were determined in a variety of Bitter Orange containing dietary supplements. Two extraction techniques were evaluated in detail: Soxhlet extraction and sonication extraction. A liquid chromatographic separation using a reversed-phase C(18) stationary phase and the ion-pairing reagent sodium dodecyl sulfate was developed to separate the Bitter Orange alkaloids. Ultraviolet absorbance detection at 220 nm and fluorescence detection with excitation at 273 nm and emission at 304 nm were used for the alkaloid detection. The method described was used for the assignment of the levels of the predominant alkaloids in three candidate standard reference materials containing Bitter Orange.

Simultaneous determination of flavonoid and alkaloid compounds in Citrus herbs by high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array detection-electrospray mass spectrometry.

The major active biological constituents in Citrus herbs are flavonoids, especially hesperidin, naringin and alkaloids, mainly synephrine, with beneficial medical effects on human health. They are used as the markers to control the quality of Citrus herbs. In this paper, a new ion pairing chromatographic method was developed to exclude the most polar solute (synephrine) from the viod volume and to maintain selectivity between the two other solutes (hesperidin and naringin). Perfluorinated carboxylic acids, which are appropriate for MS detection due to their volatility, were used as ion-pairing agents. The problems of the synephrine separation, such as band tailing and low retention, were solved successfully by using perfluorinated carboxylic acids. The effect of heptafluorobutyric acid (HFBA) was the best in the three investigated perfluorinated carboxylic acids. For the flavanone glycosides, the influence of the perfluorinated acids on retention time was rather weak. The two different kinds of the analytes were separated satisfactorily in one run using an isocratic eluent and the total analysis time takes less than 10 min. The abundance of pseudomolecular ions was recorded using selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode of m/z 135.1, 273.1 and 303.1 for synephrine, naringin and hesperidin, respectively. The contents of hesperidin, naringin and synephrine in several Citrus herbs were simultaneously determined by the proposed method.

Mass spectrometric determination of the predominant adrenergic protoalkaloids in bitter orange (Citrus aurantium).

The predominant adrenergic protoalkaloid found in the peel and fruit of bitter orange, Citrus aurantium, is synephrine. Synephrine is reputed to have thermogenic properties and is used as a dietary supplement to enhance energy and promote weight loss. However, there exists some concern that the consumption of dietary supplements containing synephrine or similar protoalkaloids may contribute to adverse cardiovascular events. This study developed and validated a positive-ion mode liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method for the quantitative determination of the major (synephrine) and minor (tyramine, N-methyltyramine, octopamine, and hordenine) adrenergic protoalkaloids in a suite of National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) bitter orange Standard Reference Materials (SRMs): SRM 3258 Bitter Orange Fruit, SRM 3259 Bitter Orange Extract, and SRM 3260 Bitter Orange Solid Oral Dosage Form. The limit of quantitation (LOQ) for all protoalkaloids is approximately 1 pg on-column, except for octopamine (20 pg on-column). Additionally, the method has a linear dynamic range of > or =3 orders of magnitude for all of the protoalkaloids. Individual, as well as "total", protoalkaloid levels (milligrams per kilogram) in the NIST SRMs were determined and compared to the levels measured by an independent liquid chromatography/fluorescence detection (LC/FD) method. Satisfactory concordance between the LC/MS/MS and LC/FD protoalkaloid measurements was demonstrated. LC/MS/MS analysis of the protoalkaloids in the SRMs resulted in mean measurement imprecision levels of < or =10% coefficient of variation (% CV).

Determination of synephrine in bitter orange raw materials, extracts, and dietary supplements by liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection: single-laboratory validation.

A method has been developed to quantify synephrine in bitter orange raw material, extracts, and dietary supplements. Single-laboratory validation has been performed on the method to determine the repeatability, accuracy, selectivity, limit of detection/limit of quantification (LOQ), ruggedness, and linearity for p-synephrine and 5 other biogenic amines: octopamine, phenylephrine (m-synephrine), tyramine, N-methyltyramine, and hordenine, which may be present in bitter orange. p-Synephrine was found to be the primary biogenic amine present in all materials tested, accounting for >80% of the total biogenic amine content in all samples except a finished product. Repeatability precision for synephrine was between 1.48 and 3.55% RSD. Synephrine recovery was between 97.5 and 104%. The minor alkaloids were typically near the LOQ of the method (300-900 microg/g) in the test materials, and between-day precision for the minor compounds was poor because interferences could sometimes be mistakenly identified as one of the minor analytes. Recoveries of the minor components ranged from 99.1 to 103% at approximately 6000 microg/g spike level, to 90.7 to 120% at 300 microg/g spike level.

Simultaneous analysis of adrenergic amines and flavonoids in citrus peel jams and fruit juices by liquid chromatography: part 2.

Citrus species are rich sources for various bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, adrenergic amines, limonoids, and coumarins. Six adrenergic amines and 20 flavonoids in the jams and juices of Citrus species were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography with a C18 reversed-phase column using gradient mobile phase of sodium acetate buffer (pH 5.5) and acetonitrile at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min with detection at 254, 280, and 330 nm. Synephrine was present in levels from 3.65 to 60.66 mg/L in 48 Citrus juices and 0.018-1.02 mg per serving in 32 Citrus jams. The content of these amines and flavonoids varied to a large extent depending on the type of the Citrus species used. The method has been successfully applied to the determination of adrenergic amines and flavonoids in several samples of Citrus fruit juices and jams.

Synephrine - A potential biomarker for orange honey authenticity.

A LC-MS/MS method for synephrine as a biomarker for orange honey authenticity was developed and validated. The sample was extracted with 5% TCA and cleaned up with Florisil providing 83.7% recoveries. Ions transitions for quantification and identification were 168→135.0 and 168→107.0, respectively. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.66 and 1.0ng/g, respectively. Synephrine was detected in orange honey at levels from 79.2 to 432.2ng/g, but not in other monofloral honeys. It was also present in some wildflower honeys (9.4-236.5ng/g), showing contribution of citrus to this polyfloral honey. Results were confirmed by qualitative pollen analysis. No citrus pollen was detected in honey containing synephrine levels ≤43.8ng/g, suggesting that synephrine in honey is more sensitive compared to pollen analysis. Synephrine was found in citrus but not in other apiculture flowers. Therefore, synephrine is a botanical marker to differentiate and attest authenticity of orange honey.