Honey Testing

Honey, the sweet descendant from Mother Nature has been widely used by communities around the world. For reasons well established in research and findings, it has found its way into the needs of human society. Honey can be traced back to the nectar present in plant blossoms from where it is collected by the bees. This nectar contains water and a bit of sucrose which is converted by the bees into honey. However, the honey is embedded in honeycombs that further need to be processed to get liquid honey.

This sweet delicacy has a lot more to offer than its taste and has a long history of medicinal use for centuries, honey has proven to be an effective antibacterial and antifungal commodity. Most importantly, it is packed with phytonutrients which give honey its unique antioxidant properties. Honey has also been a prime ingredient of many household medications for a reason. It has proved to be effective in combating the diseases of the upper respiratory tract. It may also help to prevent artery hardening due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Honey can also contribute towards a healthier gut.

With such multi-diverse uses, it is no doubt that honey is one of the highly marketed commodities around the world. With greater demand, comes greater competition, and with that comes higher risks associated with quality. The quality of honey mainly depends on the authenticity of the honey and the water content. Authenticity has dual meanings, one in terms of honey production and the other is in terms of the description of its geographical and botanical origin. The water content can significantly affect the shelf life as well as the purity of honey.

All the honey available on the retail shelf isn’t pure, One may find various faults in the products. To ensure the reliability of honey, testing is essential. It may be labeled honey, but it can be adulterated, or have a high amount of pesticides and herbicides. Adulteration of honey means it is impure, artificial or adulterated. Glucose, dextrose, molasses, sugar syrup, invert sugar, corn syrup, or any other similar product may have been added to it. Honey consists essentially of different sugars, predominantly fructose and glucose. Adulteration of honey with sugar syrups was seen as the most widely observed malpractice followed by misdescription of geographical and/or botanical origin of honey.

The essential requisites laid out by FSSAI help to maintain the product standard.

FSSAI, the authoritative body responsible for maintaining the quality of food and beverages, mandates the quality testing of honey. Eurofins have the complete capability of testing honey as per FSSAI and EU

Eurofins Portfolio of testing:

Our additional services:

• Sampling on site, in accordance with national / international standards
• Consulting and Audits concerning your quality control issues (in your factories and on your suppliers' sites)
• Training of your teams on issues related to quality control, hygiene and HACCP
• Sensory evaluation and product development advice: hedonic tests using consumer panels, qualitative studies, marketing studies, etc.

The Eurofins advantages:

• Expert advisers with in-depth knowledge of the method, available and at your service
• Accredited analyzes ^* 
• A broad portfolio of analyzes for all your raw materials and finished products
• A customer service that ensures the personalized follow-up of your samples
• Online access to your samples and the ability to download your results via the EOL platform (Eurofins OnLine)
• A food safety watch tool, Vigial ^®
• A legal and regulatory support possible by our legal expert
• Commitment to national and international research programs