Manuka honey authenticity testing

Questions over the authenticity of Manuka Honey in the UK has been raised in the media, such as:
Fake honey: UK manuka sales alone outstrip entire global production (Food Navigator, 26 August 2013)

Manuka Honey Testing Eurofins Authenticity competence centre in France has set up a specific test to monitor methylglyoxal, which has been identified as being responsible for the antiseptic activity of New-Zealand Manuka honey. The method used is the same as the one used by FERA (Food Environment Research Agency).

In addition, Eurofins can offer packages to check honey for sugar addition:

• AOAC method based on C13 of honey & proteins to detect sugar sources such as cane or corn
• Newly developed NMR-profiling test which combines targeted and non-targeted approaches to detect sugar addition, including C3 plant sources such as rice/wheat/beet syrups

The combination of these three tests will give an in-depth measure of the authenticity of manuka honey.

For more information on honey testing, please contact us.

Published: 29 August 2013