Authenticity, origin & quality
Quantification of methyl glyoxal in New Zealand Mānuka honey and honey meads
Authors: Claire E. Webster; David Barker; Rebecca C. Deed; Lisa I. Pilkington
PLAIN-LANGUAGE SUMMARY
Researchers developed and validated an HPLC method for measuring methyl glyoxal in mānuka honey and honey-mead matrices, comparing two derivatization approaches. The o-phenylenediamine method was more sensitive in mead, and four commercial mānuka meads contained detectable methyl glyoxal, three at quantifiable concentrations.
Reported result
Three mānuka meads contained quantifiable methyl glyoxal concentrations of 8.20–62.45 mg/L, while a fourth was detected below the quantification threshold.
Study design
analytical
Authenticity, origin and quality
Tested material
New Zealand mānuka honey, laboratory mead matrices and commercially available New Zealand mānuka meads; no The 3 Beez product was tested.
Limitations
The authors explicitly caution that detected methyl glyoxal may result from post-fermentation back-sweetening with mānuka honey, so its presence does not demonstrate that it survived fermentation.
Funding & conflicts
No research-funding statement was exposed in the accessible publisher record, so funding remains not stated or uncertain. The authors declared no known competing financial interests or personal relationships.
Applicability guardrail
This method measures methyl glyoxal in the tested matrices; it does not establish a health effect, fermentation-derived retention, or the composition of an untested mead or honey.
Scientific reference
Claire E. Webster; David Barker; Rebecca C. Deed; Lisa I. Pilkington (2025). Quantification of methyl glyoxal in New Zealand Mānuka honey and honey meads. Food Chemistry. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.143697
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: verified. Read the methodology.
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