3 of 4 honey brands in fake PH, study says

MANILA, Philippines – Attention Consumers: It may not be real honey you are buying.

Researchers at the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) of the Department of Science and Technology have found that at least three of the four brands of honey sold in the Philippines are either not pure or completely fake.

The questionable honey products contained or were almost entirely inexpensive syrups made from sugar cane and corn, they said, citing evidence using internal standard stable carbon isotope ratio analysis (Iscira).

The results of the study were presented by PNRI last week as part of this year’s Philippine Nuclear Research and Development Conference.

“Adulterated honey occupies between 75% and 86.5% of the local market,” said Ángel Bautista VII of the PNRI when presenting the results.

The research team was made up of Bautista, Marco Lao and Norman Mendoza, all from PNRI, and Cleofas Cervance, emeritus professor at the University of the Philippines Los Baños and recognized as the “Philippine Bee Scientist”.

Sources of corn, sugar cane

A total of 131 brands of honey were tested: 57 bought in supermarkets, shops and souvenir shops; and 74 bought on online shopping platforms.

The research team used Iscira to track the adulteration of honey with sugars from C4 plants, such as corn and sugar cane, and looked at the difference in carbon-13 isotope signatures between bulk honey (which is primarily sugar). and its internal protein (which comes from bee nectar, pollen and enzymes).

Real honey should record similar carbon 13 values ​​from your bulk honey and protein.

41 of the 57 brands of honey purchased from “physical” stores, which were imported, were found to be authentic. But of the remaining 16, 12 that were made in the Philippines were found to be adulterated with C4 sugars.

Made in philippines

Among the 74 brands of honey, all of which claimed to be made in the Philippines, purchased online, 64 or 86.5 percent were found to be mixed with C4 sugars.

Worse still, 62 of 76 local brands of honey purchased physically and online were found to be C4 sugar syrup by 95 percent. “So they are not really adulterated, they are purely sugar syrup,” Bautista said.

The researchers did not reveal the names of the brands that contained adulterated honey.

“If we publish the names of the companies, they might stop for a while. But no one can prevent them from faking honey again in the future, “said Bautista.

“The problem is that people are being misled,” he said. “You may be buying honey for its wonderful health benefits, but due to adulteration, you may actually only be buying pure sugar syrup. Excessive consumption of pure sugar syrup can cause adverse health effects. “

Studies show that intake of C4 sugar, particularly high fructose corn syrup, is associated with prevalent coronary heart disease and arthritis.

National standard

Honey sold in the local market should not have food additives or other substances, according to the Philippine National Standard for Honey from the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards.

Any substance added to honey must be declared on the label. The geographic location where the honey was obtained must be written on the label.

The National Standard for Honey, which was last updated in 2016, only requires an analysis of moisture, sugar, and water-insoluble solids content.

The PNRI study confirmed that the global problem of “honey bleaching”, related to large-scale counterfeiting and adulteration of honey, was also present in the Philippines.

An analysis by the Honey Authenticity Project, an association of activists and members of the industry, has estimated that one third of the honey sold worldwide is fake or adulterated.

“This problem is holding back what is supposed to be a very vibrant and promising industry,” Bautista said.

Lowering prices

He also pointed out that the high prevalence of fake honey could drive down the prices of honey in the market, as these could be sold for as little as a third of the price of real honey.

“Imagine that the income that is supposed to go to our honest beekeepers and honey producers is being lost due to adulteration and fraud. This is affecting our local honey industry so much that we estimate they are losing around P200 million per year, ”he said.

The researchers have submitted their findings to the regulatory bodies of the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration. They recommended the use of Iscira in regulatory processes and the Philippine National Standards for honey.

“If we incorporate these isotope-based standards into our regulatory system and the Philippine National Standards, then we believe it will be a durable solution to this problem,” Bautista said.

Without a more sophisticated analysis method, consumers have come up with ways to tell the difference between fake and real honey. But Bautista cautioned that these cannot be conclusive.

Moisture content

One popular method is called “water testing”, in which you put a teaspoon of honey in a glass of water. Fake or adulterated honey will dissolve, while pure honey will settle to the bottom of the glass as lumps.

“If we do that, we are just testing its moisture content. In some cases it works, but the honey has a humidity range to be considered authentic, ”said Bautista.

The moisture content can also be affected by external factors, such as the climate of the place where it is obtained.

Foolproof method

“But the problem is that if the faker is very knowledgeable or skilled, he can even adjust the humidity level of the fake honey to mimic that of the real honey. So when it does that, it will pass the water test method, even if it is false, ”Bautista said.

Iscira is a more foolproof method of filtering honey, he said. The carbon 13 signature is like a honey fingerprint, he noted. It can vary depending on the geology and climate of the place of origin, the plant from which the bees obtain their nectar and even the species of bees that produce honey.

“It is very difficult to replicate, it is difficult to falsify, it is more reliable than the other tests,” Bautista said. INQ

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