Honey industry to benefit from new three-in-one manuka test

New Zealand honey industry to benefit from new three-in-one manuka test

New Zealand’s honey industry can now test manuka honey faster and more cost effectively than ever before thanks to a new three-in-one test introduced by the country’s leading analytical testing laboratory, Hill Laboratories.

The test, dubbed the Manuka Suite, is available to producers and sellers of manuka honey across the country this month and uses new technology and methodology to test the bioactive components in manuka honey.

Manuka honey is produced in New Zealand by bees that pollinate the native manuka bush and sells for a high premium worldwide. To sell the product for a price indicative of the manuka level, producers and sellers of honey need to undertake manuka honey tests.

Hill Laboratories Food and Bioanalytical client services manager, Jill Rumney, said the new technology and methodology used in the Manuka Suite allows the organisation to group together three of their most popular manuka honey tests.

“Our new Manuka Suite test combines the three vital compounds required for active manuka honey tests; dihydroxyacetone (DHA), methylglyxol (MGO) and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), into one ground-breaking test,” Jill said.

“DHA and MGO testing work in partnership to indicate the level of activity present in manuka honey and HMF testing assesses whether the honey has been heated or cooled. Previously these tests were undertaken separately.

“The newly introduced technology and methodology allow us to run our honey testing at a lower cost than before and so we are able to pass these savings on to the customer in the form of lower prices. It also allows us to turn around results quicker than ever before,” she said.

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