Objective
The purpose of the project is to address unfair competition and deception ofthe consumer from adulterated and mislabeled honey. The European industry and the European bee farmers who produce the raw honey make every effort to ensure there are no instances of adulterated or mislabelled ho but the lack of a complete range of suitable tests to be applied to imported materials which constitute 60% of EU consumption is a serious handicap. Imported adulterated honeys are frequently targeted at the high value speciality monoflora honey market sector which is mainly served by small rural farmers. Current test regimes based on stable carbon isotopes can identify added maize and sugar cane syrup adulterants, but not increasingly common adulterants such as beet syrup and industrially produced sugar syrups. Research is therefore needed to develop more advanced analytical techniques with high sensitivity for a range of potential adulterants, and also to investigate methods for detecting the presence of proteins from genetically modified crops which could engended customer resistance. The development of new analytical techniques will underpin the established quality reputation of EU honey products and provide a means to detect imported products which may be deliberately formulated to gain price advantage over genuine local produce.
Funding Scheme
EAW - Exploratory awardsCoordinator
OX8 6HZ Witney
United Kingdom