Honey quality and international regulatory standards: review by the International Honey Commission

TLDR

International honey standards are defined by the European Honey Directive and Codex Alimentarius, both currently under revision. The article reviews current knowledge on honey quality criteria. The review covers standard methods for measuring moisture, ash, acidity, HMF, reducing sugars, sucrose, diastase activity, water‑insoluble matter, fructose/glucose, electrical conductivity, and other factors such as invertase activity, proline, and specific rotation.

Abstract

AbstractInternational honey standards are specified in a European Honey Directive and in the Codex Alimentarius Standard for Honey, both of which are presently under revision. In this article, present knowledge on the different quality criteria is reviewed. The standard drafts include standards and methods for the determination of the following quality factors: moisture, ash, acidity, HMF, apparent reducing sugars, apparent sucrose, diastase activity and water-insoluble matter. International honey standards for fructose/glucose content, the sucrose content and electrical conductivity are proposed. Also the use of other quality factors, such as invertase activity, proline and specific rotation, used in many countries, is also discussed.