CVE>From: Cliff Van Eaton <[log in to unmask]>
   >Date:         Wed, 3 Apr 1996 12:05:25 +1200
   >Subject:      Science Question re: HMF -Reply
 
CVE>In that article, he gives an overview of how HMF came to be used as a
   >"quality" determinant in honey.  HMF was originally looked for in honey as
   >a check against honey adulturation.  Invert sugar prepared with acid
   >contains variable amounts of HMF, depending on the conditions used.
 
Hi Cliff,
 
Not a very good test for many specific types of honey produced in the
US that have natural high levels. Citrus, Mesquite, and many other's
all premium table honey's.
 
CVE>According to White, the HMF level in a carbonated cola-type soft drink
   >(which is sweetened by invert sugar) is 456mg/kg, or about twice as
   >much in a 12 ounce can as the Codex limit for a kg of honey!
 
At the time this work was done it may have been true, but today in
the US the soft drink industry uses corn products, and/or a mixture
depending on the cost of sugar and the product. For most industrial
uses hfc corn sweeteners are preferred because of the cost and the
same physical properties that make Honey superior to sugar in the
baking industry. They not only can save on the cost of the sweetener
but can save on the energy costs if needed, and can leave out, in many
cases some not so natural ingredients to increase shelf life and
consumer interests in more natural foods. Hundreds of small sugar
companies have gone out of business and the few that are left are not
doing well, both cane and beet. Times change, more pounds of artificial
chemical sweeteners are use in food manufacturing in the US then Honey.
What a bummer! But what a market!
 
CVE>I presume the syrup you're talking about was produced by the enzyme
   >inversion process, which beekeepers in North America all know is
   >supposed to be non-toxic to bees.  If the syrup was produced by the
   >acid inversion process, on the other hand, beekeepers' experience here
   >in New Zealand would suggest that such syrup can be toxic to bees.
 
I don't know of any cases of pure sugar itself harming bees in the US,
but for sure many hives have been killed by the kindness of the
beekeepers when they were fed more then they could handle. I am sure
in the US more bees have drown in sugar syrup then have been killed
because it was toxic to them.
 
With the US price of honey now exceeding $1.00 per pound I believe that
more sugar will be fed bees so more bees will be produced to make more
honey which in turn will be extracted closer to be replaced with more
sugar for winter feed. Many will not agree to this, but it will also
provide for better bees overall in my opinion because beekeepers will be
taking more and better care of the bees. Feeding large amounts of sugar
is a skill that with which one soon learns to identify non productive
hives...they are the one's that get robbed out because the queen was
failing or gone.
 
Millions of pounds of sugar are fed bees in California each year if
there were dangers you can be sure we would have found them and you
would know about it. California beekeepers buy sugar on price and
we have been an important factor in the off season sugar market. No
sugar company is going to knowingly damage that business by selling
sugar that is harmful to our bees and we have always been treated
as a valuable customer by the sugar industry in California and they
have provided much technical experience to beekeepers when we need it.
 
Many years ago the price of sugar got so high that I could not afford
to feed it. So I turned to the world honey market and purchased several
containers of honey, from Australia. It was good honey and the bees did
well on it, no problems at all.. But they did NO better then they do
when fed sugar syrup, and that was a big disappointment and lesson to me.
And one that I have had to relearn in wintering my bees several times
since. Too much honey left on bees in this part of California retards
their growth in the spring and may cause many other problems. By too
much I mean more then enough, or all they make in one season.
 
                         ttul Andy-
 
 
 
(c) Permission is granted to freely copy this document
in any form, or to print for any use.
 
(w)Opinions are not necessarily facts. Use at own risk.
 
(U) Happy Passover!
---
 ~ QMPro 1.53 ~ ... Where the bee sucks, there suck I;