Hi All
 
As somebody who knows a little about a lot of things I would like to
contribute a few ideas I have for detecting couterfeit honey (anybody
with better knowledge please support or destroy the ideas!!)
 
ELISA - mentioned before - is an antibody based technique - would
need a rough understanding of the sugar sources, and proccessing
techniques and could then detect certain contaminants that may get
into the analog. (This system is very sensitive and can detect
picograms of substances - including things like estrogen in womans
blood, and certain pesticides)
 
PCR based - Polymerase Chain Reaction multiplies extremely small
amounts of DNA to measureable quantities. At present a number of such
techniques are being developed for detecting Genetically Modified
Foodstuffs - including sugar cane - India has developed a few
strategies for making GMO sugarcane - I don't know if any are
commercialised yet. Basically what one would do is to use special
things called primers - a very specific DNA sequence that binds to a
specific piece of DNA in a plant or animal - and multiples that DNA
up if it is there. If the product is not exposed to heat above about
120C for long periods one should be able to multiply sugarcane DNA
out of it and then detect it. At present in South Africa this would
cost me about US$10 a sample - at a big lab in the US one would be
looking at maximum probably US$5.00 a sample.
 
One would have two edges to the sword - Europe is paranoid about
GMO's and has banned temporarily all GMO imports - hence a honey
analog which registers as containing GMO sugar would be a no-no. The
US likewise requires labelling saying - CONTAINS SUGAR SOURCED FROM
GENETICALLY MODIFIED SUGARCANE - in BOLD LETTERS in a font size of
about 14 pt - difficult for even the most television anaethetised
person to miss!!
 
High Pressure Chromatography/Pressure Assisted Capillary
Electrophoresis - both can develop a signature of molecules in
something. I am sure an adulterated honey would have a very
'uncontaminated' signal without spikes for things like Xylose, Ribose
and other oddball sugars that are not in sugar cane to any large
extent, but which are in honey.
 
Some way of detecting caramels - any honey - even unadulterated
should not have any caramelized sugars in them - these are much more
unhealthy than the wax and pollen that Dhampur mention. Any caramels
can place quite a strain on the liver. As Andy mentioned, the stuff
is dark - my bet is that dark is caramelized sugars.
 
Just a few ideas.
 
Keep well
 
Garth
 
Garth Cambray           Camdini Apiaries
15 Park Road
Grahamstown             Apis mellifera capensis
6139
South Africa
 
Time = Honey
 
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