The most common economic adulteration of honey is from the addition of sugar. C4-plant sugars (cane, maize), can be reliably detected using the AOAC 998.12 Carbon 13 – IRMS method (down to 7% addition in total sugars). However this method and more recently developed chromatographic methods using either multi-component LC-IRMS profiles, LC-MS detection of specific sugar syrup markers or foreign enzyme activities fail to detect the addition of refined syrups which perfectly mimic honey composition. Other types of fraud also exist for example, the false declaration of botanical or geographical origin. Developed as part of a collaborative research project, this method significantly improves the detection of adulteration. The technique used is high resolution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) profiling. This is an innovative high-throughput technique, providing a wide range of information that is both targeted (quantification of defined substances) and non-targeted (identifying deviations from reference spectra). Applied to honey, this analytical method can simultaneously:
- Detect the addition of exogenous sugars (from whatever source: cane, corn, beet, wheat, rice, etc.)
- Confirm the floral origin of honey declared on the product’s packaging (mono-floral honeys)
- Detect various irregularities such as excessive heat treatment or a start of fermentation
- Quantify the main parameters included as analytical criteria defined in the EU directive 2001/110 and in the Codex Alimentarius: sugars (glucose, fructose, sucrose) and the sugar breakdown product 5-HMF.
This unique method, combined with the AOAC 998.12 analysis, ensures an optimum level of control regarding the authenticity of honey, at a reasonable cost and short timescale.
