Abstract: The composition and contents of fatty acids in four kinds of honey such as chaste tree honey, clover honey, citrus honey and rape honey collected from Hubei province were comparatively analyzed. Fatty acids were extracted by ether and esterified with 1% sulfuric acid-methanol, and then analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Totally 14 fatty acids were identified in four kinds of honey, of which 8 were isolated from chaste tree honey, clover honey and rape honey, and 7 were isolated from citrus honey. Moreover, the content of unsaturated fatty acids accounted for 45.53%－79.31% of total fatty acids, while saturated fatty acids accounted for 16.68%－40.77 %. Palmitic acid and oleic acid were detected in each kind of honey.

Key words: honey, fatty acid, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)