Honey: Difference between revisions

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According to the [[Codex Alimentarius]] of the United Nations, any product labeled as "honey" or "pure honey" must not be adulterated, although labeling laws differ between countries. In the United States, according to the National Honey Board, "Ensuring honey authenticity is one of the great challenges facing the honey industry today. Over the past half century, a number of honey testing methods have been developed to detect food fraud. To date, there is no single universal analytical method available which is capable of detecting all types of adulteration with adequate sensitivity."

[[Isotope ratio mass spectrometry]] can be used to detect addition of [[corn syrup]] and [[cane sugar]] by the carbon [[isotopic signature]]. Addition of sugars originating from corn or sugar cane ([[C4 carbon fixation|C4 plants]], unlike the plants used by bees, and also [[sugar beet]], which are predominantly [[C3 carbon fixation|C3 plants]]) skews the isotopic ratio of sugars present in honey,~~<ref name=nhb />~~ but does not influence the isotopic ratio of proteins. In an unadulterated honey, the carbon isotopic ratios of sugars and proteins should match. Levels as low as 7% of addition can be detected.

[[Isotope ratio mass spectrometry]] can be used to detect addition of [[corn syrup]] and [[cane sugar]] by the carbon [[isotopic signature]]. Addition of sugars originating from corn or sugar cane ([[C4 carbon fixation|C4 plants]], unlike the plants used by bees, and also [[sugar beet]], which are predominantly [[C3 carbon fixation|C3 plants]]) skews the isotopic ratio of sugars present in honey, but does not influence the isotopic ratio of proteins. In an unadulterated honey, the carbon isotopic ratios of sugars and proteins should match. Levels as low as 7% of addition can be detected.

===Production ===

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 According to the [[Codex Alimentarius]] of the United Nations, any product labeled as "honey" or "pure honey" must not be adulterated, although labeling laws differ between countries. In the United States, according to the National Honey Board, "Ensuring honey authenticity is one of the great challenges facing the honey industry today. Over the past half century, a number of honey testing methods have been developed to detect food fraud. To date, there is no single universal analytical method available which is capable of detecting all types of adulteration with adequate sensitivity."
-[[Isotope ratio mass spectrometry]] can be used to detect addition of [[corn syrup]] and [[cane sugar]] by the carbon [[isotopic signature]]. Addition of sugars originating from corn or sugar cane ([[C4 carbon fixation|C4 plants]], unlike the plants used by bees, and also [[sugar beet]], which are predominantly [[C3 carbon fixation|C3 plants]]) skews the isotopic ratio of sugars present in honey,<ref name=nhb /> but does not influence the isotopic ratio of proteins. In an unadulterated honey, the carbon isotopic ratios of sugars and proteins should match. Levels as low as 7% of addition can be detected.
+[[Isotope ratio mass spectrometry]] can be used to detect addition of [[corn syrup]] and [[cane sugar]] by the carbon [[isotopic signature]]. Addition of sugars originating from corn or sugar cane ([[C4 carbon fixation|C4 plants]], unlike the plants used by bees, and also [[sugar beet]], which are predominantly [[C3 carbon fixation|C3 plants]]) skews the isotopic ratio of sugars present in honey, but does not influence the isotopic ratio of proteins. In an unadulterated honey, the carbon isotopic ratios of sugars and proteins should match. Levels as low as 7% of addition can be detected.
 ===Production ===