New protocol aims to improve detection of adulterated honey

A new protocol will guide the collection of honey reference samples for the creation of standardised authenticity databases. The protocol is the first of its kind in the UK and will aid in detecting adulterated honey, where products are typically bulked out with cheap sugar syrups.

Several commercial authenticity databases are currently used globally for assessing the integrity of honey. But until now there has been no protocol published detailing the requirements for the collection of honey reference samples that are used to verify commercial products’ authenticity.