A new honey testing service is now available through ChemCentre for apiarists and honey processors. ChemCentre has developed great expertise in honey analysis through its research and development work over the past seven years. This expertise is now available broadly to the honey industry through ChemCentre’s testing services.
Dr Chris May, Chemist & Research Officer in ChemCentre’s Primary Industries Team, said honey samples were tested for general compositional characteristics, such as sugar content, moisture levels, fat and sodium.
“That’s the sort of information that appears in the nutritional information panel on the food label,” Chris explained.
“But our honey testing also targets high value properties, such as total phenolics and antioxidant capacity, which contribute to each honey’s unique properties and therapeutic potential. We also facilitate total antibacterial activity testing of honey. These properties, which have been confirmed and quantified through ChemCentre’s research and development work, are used in the honey industry’s promotional marketing and have enabled substantial value-adding to the WA honey industry.”
Western Australia has a reputation for producing ‘clean and green’ honey, and honey bees in the state are reported to be the healthiest in the world. Strict quarantine rules prevent the importation of raw honey into WA, but WA honey is widely exported.
“Different countries have different importation requirements with regards to what can and can’t be present in honey,” Chris said. “There are various requirements around sugar, moisture and metal content, the presence of bacteria, and contamination with antibiotics such as chloramphenicol. We test honey for producers and provide them with export certificates as required by their overseas markets.”
For more information visit ChemCentre’s honey testing services web page or contact the Scientific Services Division at [email protected] and highlight your enquiry in the subject line as honey analysis.
ChemCentre’s honey research was recently featured in RM Williams Outback magazine.
