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;