Sticky Situation or Sweet Success… The manuka honey industry has 46 www.foodtechnology.co.nz certainly seen some challenges and changes recently. Manuka honey fraud has been under the spotlight internationally, with tests revealing that some products are far from the real deal. As a result, the New Zealand government stepped in and introduced a manuka honey labelling law in 2014. This means that those brands showing such words on their labels as ‘Active’, ‘Bio-Active’, ‘Total Activity’, ‘Non-Peroxide Activity’ (NPA) or ‘Total Peroxide Activity’ must have removed products displaying those labels from sale last month. Despite the recent tumult, it is not all doom and gloom. This milestone law change should provide much greater clarity for consumers and the industry, and is a notable turning point for the industry. This year is also special for another reason. It marks ten years since our team at the TUD, the University of Dresden, Germany, made a significant discovery. We detected a natural compound called methylglyoxal in manuka honey and revealed that this is the key factor that differentiates manuka from other varieties. There are still some manuka honey sceptics around the world who claim there is nothing special about it. By Professor Thomas Henle What does the future hold for Manuka Honey? However, while it’s true that all honey contains trace amounts of vitamins, minerals and enzymes, the evidence so far suggests that the antibacterial activity of manuka honey is superior to any other type. No other honeys in the world contain significant levels of methylglyoxal above concentration of 5-10 mg/kg methylglyoxal per kilo. A minimum level required to reliably inhibit bad bacteria is 100 mg/kg. These higher levels are only found in manuka honey, generally ranging from 30 to a massive 800 mg/kg of methylglyoxal. Some honeys do produce hydrogen peroxide due to the enzyme glucoseoxidase, but when compared to the concentrations of methylglyoxal in manuka honey, the antibacterial efficiency of hydrogen peroxide is essentially negligible. It has been a hugely exciting and interesting decade for manuka honey science. I am confident that the future will reveal even more about this unique functional food. It will be of paramount importance to develop analytical tools for the identification of manuka honey and for proving the ‘natural’ formation of methylglyoxal. Corresponding methods should not be property of industrial associations, but must be freely available for every lab in order to realise an objective and independent assessment. With respect to the promising biofunctionality of manuka honey, it is vital that clinical trials and scientifically well-designed studies are conducted – a prerequisite for instance to confirm the promising initial results on the effects of manuka honey against gastrointestinal infections. As a food chemist, I eagerly await further studies on the unique methylglyoxal dependent biochemistry of manuka honey. We should also see manuka being presented in increasingly creative and easy-to-take forms, to make enjoying the health benefits faster and more convenient. The chewable manuka honey tablet is one recent invention that is really starting to grow in popularity. Professor Thomas Henle will speak at an exclusive event organised by Manuka Health to celebrate 10 years of manuka honey science in Auckland later this month. He will be sharing insights into his research, along with some of his more recent discoveries. Contact Rosemary Netzer at rosemaryn@manukahealth.co.nz for more information. The New Benchmark in Food Safe Brushware ULTRA SAFE TECHNOLOGY is part of Vikan’s ambition to create the most secure, safe and hygienic cleaning tools for the food and beverage industry. The UST Brushware features a unique filament retention system which makes it the safest brushware available globally. Vikan has reinvented the design for global excellence in hygiene and cleaning ability, and has developed UST in close consultation with food industry partners. The new Filament Security Units are moulded as an integral part of the brush, effectively making it a one-piece brush. This feature eliminates the risk of loose filaments, and thus the potential for product rejection, recalls and waste. The unique brush head pattern makes the brush easy to clean and dry, and improves cleaning efficiency. For further information and assistance, please contact Wells Hygiene on +64 9 263 9332, sales@wellshygiene.co.nz or go to: www.wellshygiene.co.nz.
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