Authenticity, origin & quality
Quality of Commercially Available Manuka Honey Expressed by Pollen Composition, Diastase Activity, and Hydroxymethylfurfural Content
Authors: Alicja Sęk; Aneta Porębska; Teresa Szczęsna
PLAIN-LANGUAGE SUMMARY
Thirty in-date products sold as Manuka honey in Poland were assessed using pollen microscopy, the Phadebas diastase assay and HPLC-UV measurement of hydroxymethylfurfural. Leptospermum scoparium pollen ranged from 45% to 90%; 47% of samples fell below the paper's cited 70% pollen criterion, and several samples showed low diastase without correspondingly low hydroxymethylfurfural.
Reported result
The tested commercial samples varied substantially in pollen composition, diastase activity and hydroxymethylfurfural, leading the authors to question the quality of parts of the sampled market.
Study design
analytical
Authenticity, origin and quality
Tested material
Thirty in-date commercial honey samples labelled as Manuka honey and sold on the Polish market; no The 3 Beez product was tested.
Limitations
The authors explicitly note the close resemblance of mānuka and kānuka pollen and describe melissopalynology as imperfect. Pollen analysis alone is not equivalent to New Zealand MPI's chemical-and-DNA export definition.
Funding & conflicts
The authors stated that the research received no specific grant from public, commercial or not-for-profit funding agencies and declared no conflict of interest.
Applicability guardrail
These results concern thirty sampled products and the study's analytical criteria; they do not establish the quality or regulatory status of every retail Manuka honey.
Scientific reference
Alicja Sęk; Aneta Porębska; Teresa Szczęsna (2023). Quality of Commercially Available Manuka Honey Expressed by Pollen Composition, Diastase Activity, and Hydroxymethylfurfural Content. Foods. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12152930
Editorial record
Responsible publisher: Manuka Drops Limited. Record updated: 2026-08-28. Retraction check recorded: 2026-08-27. Retraction status: checked-no-retraction-signal. Editorial status: published. Read the methodology.
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This pathway concerns authenticity, measured composition, certification, grade, freshness, storage, origin and sensory profile. It is not a medical recommendation.