How to recognize real Manuka Honey and where to buy it?

Manuka honey is a Manuka honey with properties incredible, but to make sure you buy a truly pure and original product, you need to pay attention to some characteristics. Let's find out what they are and where to buy them safely.

Honey, with its natural antibacterial action, has always been the perfect ally tosupport our immune defenses. In particular, Manuka honey, which differs from any other honey due to the presence of Methylglyoxal (MGO), the substance responsible for its great antibacterial capacity.

Today we will try to understand how to recognize real Manuka honey and where to buy it to be sure you are buying original Manuka honey. In fact, you just need to know what information to look for on the label or what to ask the manufacturer.

1. The provenance

The Manuka plant comes mainly from New Zealand and only in some areas of Australia. In New Zealand there are large, uncontaminated hilly areas covered in Manuka plants, where they grow without any external intervention.

Its official botanical name is Leptospermum scoparium it was attributed to it by Thomas Cook due to the disordered branches of this shrub similar to brooms. The Englishman Cook landed on the New Zealand coast in 1769 and took great care of this plant, of which he especially appreciated the leaves as tea.

Very recent news is the dispute between New Zealand and Australia to register the official trademark “Manuka Honey”. In fact, New Zealanders claim that the original Manuka plant is native to their land and that the honey obtained by bees thanks to this particular shrub is very different from the Australian one. For this reason they are hoping for a certification mark, which certifies that only honey from New Zealand can be defined as “original manuka honey”.

2. Scientific definition

The Ministry for Primary Industries of New Zealand, to ensure transparency for consumers when purchasing manuka honey, has introduced a very rigid scientific definition .

This definition is based on objective data and certified laboratory analysis, information that must be reported on the label.

The New Zealand Government definition that allows you to recognize real Manuka honey is based on a combination of 5 attributes: 4 chemicals from the nectar and 1 DNA marker from the pollen of the Manuka plant.

I 4 phytochemical compounds, which are 2′-methoxyacetophenone (2-MAP), 2-methoxybenzoic acid (2-MB), 3-phenylactic acid (3-PLA) and 4-hydroxyphenylactic acid (4-HPLA) and theDNA marker from the pollen of the Manuka plant allow Manuka honey to be distinguished from any other type of honey.

3. Leptosperin

The New Zealand Government has set out strict standards to identify Manuka honey and protect consumers from fraud. But there is another type of test which represents a further guarantee of control and transparency towards the consumer. The Leptosperin test, which allows you to verify the presence of this substance within honey.

It is a component found in the nectar of the Manuka plant. Its concentration can reveal whether the final product has been adulterated to make it "look like" real Manuka honey.

4. Amount of Methylglyoxal

As we said, methylglyoxal is the active ingredient present in Manuka honey, responsible for its powerful antibacterial capacity and which differentiates it from any other honey in the world.

Today it is possible toquantify in absolute terms the presence of Methylglyoxal, determining exactly the quantity in a given dose of honey (e.g. 100 mg of Methylglyoxal in 1 kg of honey). This can happen only and exclusively through a chemical analysis on the product. In fact, Manuka honeys with very similar appearance, consistency and flavor can be very different from each other, since the amount of methylglyoxal is NOT detectable based on the flavor.

The quantity of methylglyoxal must be reported on the label. Therefore, on the package there must be a value expressed in MGO (Methiolglyoxal). For example: 100+ MGO means that in 1 kg of Manuka honey there will be 100 or more milligrams of Methylglyoxal. In the 200+ MGO there will be 200 or more and so on.

NaturalePiù has 5 different grades of Manuka honey: 100+ MGO, 200+ MGO, 400+ MGO, 500+ MGO and 800+ MGO.

5. Accredited laboratories

As clarified previously, both the quantity of Methylglyoxal and the laboratory analyzes of the five attributes are the only criteria to establish whether it is an original Manuka honey. These can only be established through specific chemical analyses.

The New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries not only requires producers to have honey analyzed for these aspects, but the analyzes must be carried out in laboratories that are certified and accredited.

But then what does UMF mean?

For many years it was impossible to isolate the active ingredient in Manuka honey. So for a long time it was called Unique Manuka Factor, i.e. the famous UMF.

It was calculated based on a simple comparison of the effectiveness of honey compared to the effectiveness of carbolic acid on different bacteria. So honey was classified, for example, as UMF10 if it proved to be as effective as a 10% phenol solution.

Today this classification has been overcome by scientific research which has made it possible to isolate Methylglyoxal. The registered trademark UMF, however, is still present on the market as it was registered by the UMF Honey Association, a trade association of Manuka honey producers. By becoming a member of the UMFHA and respecting the internal regulations of the association, you can use the UMF classification. But the UMF brand alone is not a guarantee of quality for Manuka honey.

Manuka honey where to buy it?

Once you are aware of all the characteristics and standards useful for recognizing real Manuka honey, choosing where to buy it will certainly be easier.

First of all, you need to carefully check the label on which the origin and quantity of Methylglyoxal inside must be reported, i.e. its gradation. If you have doubts, it is always best to ask the manufacturer for all the relevant analyses.

Anyone can consult the analyses, both those who are already customers and want to compare the batch number on the label with the published reference analyses, and consumers who prefer to consult the analyzes even before purchasing Manuka honey: just request the batch number on sale, and we will indicate the analyzes to consult.

Sources: https://www.mpi.govt.nz/food-business/honey-bee-products-processing-requirements/manuka-honey-testing/