So much interesting information coming in.  Thank you!


I took a Welch Honey Judging class from Keith Fielder last year, and found him to be a top-notch honey gastronome.  I hope to go back and do a honey tasting session with him to learn more about world honeys.  I agree that we can learn to tell honeys apart by flavor....I can tell most of the major honeys that originate in New York State, and like Pete I have an extensive honey collection from around the world....but I am looking for something more objective than taste.


Ruary's point that pollen in honey is taken up incidental to nectar collection is a good one, but then we stumble over the processing of many honeys as often combs go into the extractor that have pollen in them, so some of that gets mixed with the honey and we're back to "don't know".


Honey exclusive of pollen has no DNA in it (or shouldn't, AFAIK), so using DNA to ID honey won't work as the DNA that does occur in honey comes from pollen, I believe (correct me anyone?).


Honey volatiles analysis is probably more precise than sugar analysis and is possible via gas chromatography and mass spec, but those methods are not available to the average beekeeper.  You need to know what you are doing in order to use the methods and the equipment is expensive.  The other techniques that were mentioned in the Aliferis et al paper are also limited to laboratories.  The services available that Juanse point out are mostly directed at identifying contaminants like rice syrup, caramel coloring, etc, and while it's comforting to know that there is a way to ensure bottles labelled "honey" are really in fact honey, those methods don't identify floral sources.


Christina

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