Honey has a range of uses from human consumption, health
and beauty products to medicinal use. Based on your requirements we are able to test honey, whether it is Manuka honey for its strength and activity or checking if honey has been adulterated. Honey can potentially contain trace impurities
such as antibiotics or pesticides.
At Leeder Analytical, our staff has extensive industry experience ensuring your requirements are understood and met. Some of the honey testing services we offer include:
Leeder Analytical can test from monosaccharides through to trisaccharides. Sugars routinely analysed for include fructose, glucose, and sucrose. For more detailed analysis we offer monosaccharides, disaccharides and trisaccharide sugar profiles. Some of the compounds that Leeder Analytical offer in our carbohydrate analysis include; a,a-trehalose, a,b-trehalose, Arabinose, Cellobiose, Erlose, Fucose, Fructose, Fucitol, Glucose, Galactose, Gentobiose, Glucoheptose, Kestose, Kojibiose, Inulobiose, Isomaltose, Lactose, Lactulose, Laminaribiose, Mannose, Mannitol, Maltulose, Maltotriose, Melibiose, Panose, Palatinose, Persetol, Nigerose, Raffinose, Rhamnose, Ribose, Stachyose, Sorbitol, Sucrose, Turanose, Verbascose, Xylitol
and Maltose.
The three most popular Manuka honey tests are: DHA-Dihydroxyacetone, HMF-Hydroxymethylfurfuraldehyde, and
MGO-Methylglyoxal. We can also provide NPA- Non-peroxide activity which is an indicator of the activity in Manuka honey.
Nitrosamines can be produced in food where nitrates are added as a means of preservation. Typical compounds we can analyse include: N-Nitrosodimethylamine, N-Nitrosomethylethylamine, N-Nitrosodiethylamine, N-Nitrosopyrrolidine, N-Nitrosomorpholine, N-Nitrosodi-n-propylamine, N-Nitrosopiperidine, N-Nitrosodi-n-butylamine and N-Nitrosodiphenylamine.
Exposure to antibiotics in honey has been a major problem worldwide with residues being detected in some honeys. In some instances bees and hives have been treated with antibiotics resulting in antibiotic residues being detected in honey. Streptomycin, Chloramphenicol, Tetracycline, Nitrofurans metabolites, Sulphonamides and Trimethoprim are amongst some of those regularly tested at Leeder Analytical.
Leeder Analytical can analyse for herbicides such as Glyphosate and Glufosinate in honey. Bees may encounter pesticides and herbicides such as glyphosate as they pollinate in areas which have been exposed to round-up and other commercial herbicides and this is transferred into the honey. Leeder Analytical can test your honey for levels of Glyphosate and Glufosinate along with other broad spectrum herbicides.
Leeder Analytical offers a wide multi-component pesticide screen. This screen covers a wide range of pesticide classes including organochlorine pesticides, organophosphorus pesticides, organonitrogen pesticides to name a few. Pesticides have been implicated in certain instances for colony collapse disorder.
A range of banned moth repellents such as naphthalene and dichlorobenzene can cause taint in honey. Leeder Analytical offer tests to detect a range of moth repellents in honey.
Heavy metals enter plants, including pollen and nectar through contaminated soil and bees transport these back to the hive. Metals of interest are typically those toxic-to-humans such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, manganese, mercury, and nickel.
Honey can be adulterated with sucrose, corn syrup, mannose, glycerine, glycol and many other compounds. Our detailed analysis along with C13 isotope analysis can quickly identify any adulteration. The Carbon 13 ratio can change in honey to enable detection of possible adulteration with sugar substitutes. It is possible to distinguish between natural or synthetic sources of sugar. Honey may be adulterated with cheaper products such as high fructose sugar syrup and be passed off as honey. This test will determine if your product is indeed pure
natural honey.
Fipronil and metabolites, a widely used insecticide has been to blame for the death of thousands of bees and affects the health of honey bees. Fipronil has been heavily implicated in elevated bee toxicity and decline. Leeder Analytical offer testing services for a wide range of pesticides and now offer a new test for Fipronil and metabolites in dead bees as well as honey.
Slow Bee Paralysis Virus (SBPV) is characterised by the paralysis of the front two pairs of legs of the adult bees a few days before dying. SBPV can cause colony collapse disorder and results in total destruction of the hive. Leeder Analytical offer qPCR (quantitative polymerase chain reaction) to determine the presence of DNA or RNA for a wide range of target organisms. We can offer testing of dead bees and honey for the presence of the Slow Bee Paralysis Virus.
Leeder Analytical‘s world-class laboratory in Melbourne, Australia are experts in food and beverage testing from honey analysis to beer and wine. Our specialist lab technicians have worked with some of the largest food and beverage companies in the world, as well as local producers and manufacturers.
For more information on how our team can assist with, visit our contact page for a free quote or confidential discussion today.
For a free quote or a discussion on how Leeder Analytical can assist you with our analytical testing services please contact us today via the contact form below
To talk to a Representative regarding our services, please call 03 9481 4167
Brominated Flame Retardants (BFRs) Brominated Flame Retardants (BFRs), such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have become global environmental contaminants because of their widespread use in numerous household and commercial products.
