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From:
Georges Prigent <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 30 Jan 2019 16:44:27 -0500
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<For years I sent honey to Vaughn Bryant's lab. I learned that the quantity of pollen from a particular plant's blossom does not correspond to the amount of nectar from a particular honey sample.>

Yes, there is a ponderation according to the plant foraged by honeybees. There are 2 classifications in use in Europe (Demianowicz and Maurizio). The Demianowicz table starts at class 0 which has 32 pollen grains per g of honey, up to class 18 having 147 456 000 (forget-me-not) pollen grains per g of honey. The Maurizio table starts at class 1 less with 2 000 pollen grains per g of honey up to class 5 over 100 000 pollen grains in 1 g of honey. Details in : https://www.amazon.fr/Pollens-plantes-mellifères-dEurope-Maurizio/dp/B0014S0AQG

Some plants produces a lot of pollen grains, also when pollen is very small such as for forget-me-not honey, the honeybee  very easily swallows the pollen grains with the nectar ; it is therefore, massively inside honey. My spring honey has always a lot of this pollen but palynologist uses the correction factor according the table.
Now I’m surprised by the statement that European palynologists are not able to evaluate Australian honeys, may be their demand was addressed to pure palynologists. In France, to evaluate honey from foreign countries, we do not rely on a sole pollen analysis as it could be misleading. For example, just after rapeseed or canola honey crop, we make the Robinia pseudoacacia honey crop. But pure Robinia honey don’t have much pollen grains, around 1000 in 1g of honey, while pure canola honey has 15 000 pollen grains in 1 g of honey. Knowing the fact that around 5% of canola honey remains crystalized inside the combs, you may conclude that the robinia honey is, canola honey, if you only take into consideration the sole pollen analysis. But master palynologist will never make the mistake. In parallel he will analyze the sugars and will find above 40% fructose and around 1.6% to 2% erlose which is the signature for the Robinia pseudoacacia honey.

In Europe, we also separate honey dew from honey by measuring the electrical conductivity. Conductivity of honey is below or equal to 800 µS.cm-1 while honey dew conductivity is above or equal to 800 µS.cm-1 in this case, we label under "forest honey" or "Pine honey" (meaning non floral origin). Of course, there are exceptions according botanical origin. Note that honey dew will often have trehalose sugar, this come from the insect blood, as it extracts the sugars from the sap of the tree and rejects sugar wastes. We can also classify honey according sugar types, it helps the palynologists.
By the way Trevor, alfafa (Medicago sativa) has only 500 pollen grains in 1 g (class 3 according Demianowicz), but palynologists knows it ! French expert I know, is also aware that alfafa will have around 10% sucrose as well as Robinia pseudoacacia, Banksia menziesii, Eucalyptus camadulensi, etc., but worse lavendula and borago officinalis honey often have 15% sucrose. How to change the Codex alimentarius ? I agree some excellent honeys are rejected because exception are not taken into consideration. 
As you see, this is not so simple when you are in front of your slides, that why we have to rely on expert to analyse our honey…
Georges

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