AUSTRALIAN MANUKA - WordPress.com · 2016. 5. 9. · that Manuka honey with this NPA activity was...

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AUSTRALIANMANUKAINFORMATION

PACK

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction 4

Why is Manuka honey unique? 5

Sources of Manuka honey in Australia 6

Producing Manuka Honey 10

Testing for Antibacterial Activity 12

Testing & Pricing Manuka Honey 14

Quality Expectations 16

What is Capilano doing to support you? 17

Conclusions 18

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I4 Australian Manuka Information Pack

INTRODUCTION

Capilano is continuing to focus on the delivery of ‘health and wellbeing’ premium products, utilising our specialist Australian beekeeper’s honey. Growing the supply of Manuka honey is important if we are going to continue to meet a growing sales demand both in Australia and abroad for this unique honey. In this brochure we are aiming to inform beekeepers about Manuka honey production in Australia, as well as the market and customer expectations of Manuka honey consumers, in particular we will make clear:

• why Manuka honey is unique and premium priced;

• the potential sources of Manuka honey in Australia;

• producing manuka honey;

• changes to antibacterial testing utilising new and more accurate techniques;

• the quality expectations of Capilano when purchasing Manuka honey;

• consumer market expectations;

• a new pricing structure for Manuka honeys;

• what Capilano is doing to best pack, promote & market Manuka honeys to the world.

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I5Australian Manuka Information Pack

been a number of symbols introduced into the market over recent years aimed to represent the antibacterial strength of Manuka honey. A greater activity strength indicates a greater capacity for honey to be of therapeutic benefi t, hence the price increases with strength.

WHY IS MANUKA HONEY UNIQUE?

Throughout recorded history there have been many claims, from most regions of the world, pertaining to the miraculous healing properties of honey. Manuka honey is derived from the Leptospermum tree that is native to New Zealand and Australia. The indigenous people from both lands have been using Manuka in their traditional medicines for centuries.

Manuka honey has been stated to control or cure many conditions from cuts, wounds, abrasions, fungal infections, skin irritation, eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, infl ammation and is even used as a beauty treatment. In recent years, science has enabled a much greater knowledge and understanding of the therapeutic activities within honey. The progression of scientifi c and clinical research has been very benefi cial as now users of honey have a better insight and greater confi dence when using honey to treat a particular condition.

The antibacterial strength of Manuka honey can be tested for and is often shown as a strength number on the labels (eg. NPA 10+; UMF® 10+; MGO 263+). For commercially competitive reasons there have

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I6 Australian Manuka Information Pack

Leptospermum Species Identifi ed Picture

1. L. polygalifolium(active)

2. L. liversidgei(active)

3. L. laevigatum (considered inactive)

4. L. whitei(active)

SOURCES OF MANUKA HONEY IN AUSTRALIA

In New Zealand, Manuka honey is almost exclusively produced from a single species of Leptospermum known as L. scoparium. Whilst this species is also present in Australia, there are some 83 different species identifi ed here resulting in a much greater diversity. The key species that we have found to produce honey include:



5. L. speciosum(active)

6. L. trivernium(considered inactive)

7. L. continentale(considered inactive)

8. L. brevipes(considered inactive)

9. L. scoparium(active)




10. L. myrsinoides(considered inactive)

11. L. coriaceum(considered inactive)

12. L. obovatum(considered inactive)

13. L. semibaccatum(active)

14. L. subtenue(active)



There are some common species of plants that are often misidentifi ed as Leptospermum plants, in particular:


15. Brackea Frutescens(inactive)

16. Kunzea ericoides(inactive)

Source: Atlas of Living Australia, NCRIS Australian Federal Government (www.ala.org.au).



Manuka honey is not the easiest honey to produce, the crop can be unreliable as it is very dependent on favourable weather conditions, most notably pre-fl owering rains. There can be little pollen availability in some regions when the honey is produced and the honey is sticky, sometimes jelly, and hard to extract from combs. Here are some tips beekeepers can consider:

• keep bees ‘fresh’ by rotating apiaries on and off a site every 8 – 10 weeks to overcome shortfalls in pollen when working a range of Leptospermum species over a long fl owering period;

• when rotating apiaries ensure that you move them onto good pollen foraging conditions so they build strength and store pollen;

• supplementary feeding pollen substitutes is recommended by many beekeepers when pollen is short, such as Bee Build (Figure 1);

• some beekeepers believe it is a good idea to keep bees hungry with limited stores to encourage them to work the thicker Leptospermum nectar;

• do not over-stock apiaries, sometimes the best results are found with only 40-60 colonies per apiary;

• high moisture honey can be a problem for Leptospermum honeys, make sure it is well ripened before you extract;

• ‘Honey Looseners’ do an excellent job to help loosen the jelly-like honey in the frame (Figure 2) and do minimal comb damage;

• plastic foundation allows you to cut deep when uncapping and gives the frame a strong core;

• settle the honey and fi lter once extracted to minimise any contamination with residual beeswax and organic matter;

• heat should be kept to a minimum, not exceeding 450C.

PRODUCING MANUKA HONEY

Figure 1 - Bees actively feeding on Bee Build, whilst working Leptospermum in south-east Queensland.

Figure 2 - ‘Honey Loosener’ at work before conventional uncapper.


There is currently no single standard setting out the requirements for measuring the activity of honey, which is complex for packers, consumers and the marketplace. The most widely accepted test result is a non-peroxide activity (NPA) or Unique Manuka Factor (UMF®) grading system. We will summarise the different tests below:

Hydrogen Peroxide Activity (HPA) – present in all types of honeys

When the bees are collecting the nectar from fl owers they introduce an enzyme (glucose oxidase) to the nectar. This enzyme produces an antibacterial activity in the honey when diluted, called Hydrogen Peroxide Activity (HPA), and most honeys around the world have this activity to some degree. Although this HPA can be useful to help fi ght some common bacteria it can be unstable and decomposes readily with excessive heat and light. The HPA rating in honey varies greatly and can change, but there are widely known honey varieties such as Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) that have higher than normal levels of HPA, enabling them to be used effectively in healing applications. It is HPA activity that people relied on when using honey traditionally as an antibacterial agent, before the discovery of Manuka honey’s heightened stable antibacterial strength. HPA is often measured as Total Activity (TA) and some companies record the strength of this by labelling their honey as “TA” rated honey (i.e. TA 10+).

Non Peroxide Activity (NPA) – unique to Manuka honeys

In 1981, Dr Peter Molan (MBE), who was a Professor at the University of Waikato in New Zealand, was researching the peroxide activity in honeys from around the world when he found that when he deliberately destroyed the hydrogen peroxide activity (HPA) in honey that only one honey was still showing strong antibacterial activity. This activity was exclusive to Manuka honey and became known as non-peroxide antibacterial activity (NPA).

Further research by Dr Molan and his team revealed that Manuka honey with this NPA activity was very effective against many strains of bacteria and that the honey had differing strengths of activity. Therefore they developed a test to measure the strength of this activity in each batch of honey. The rating for NPA is measured as a one-to-one relationship to an acidic phenol standard (eg. NPA 5+ Manuka honey has the same non-peroxide antibacterial activity as a 5% phenol solution). At the same time it was also discovered that honey from Leptospermum species in

Australia contained NPA, which also carries an NPA rating and antibacterial strength just like honey from New Zealand.

Unique Manuka Factor (UMF®) – unique to Manuka honeys

In 1995, a small New Zealand bee industry group met to discuss and investigate the best way to Trade Mark and protect the unique antibacterial activity (NPA) that the University of Waikato in New Zealand had found in some Manuka honeys. In 1998, Dr Peter Molan announced that a new trade mark for the Unique Manuka Factor “UMF®” had been registered for licence holders to use as a quality mark for describing the strength of the NPA activity. The UMF® trade mark for antibacterial activity is based on an exact equivalent value strength to NPA (i.e. NPA 10 = UMF® 10) and UMF® is licenced exclusively to New Zealand packers.

Methylglyoxal (MGO) – unique to Manuka honeys

In 2006, scientists in Germany published research showing that Manuka honey’s ‘non-peroxide’ antimicrobial activity (NPA) was closely related to the presence of the chemical compound methylglyoxal (MGO). Subsequently, the strong relationship between MGO levels and NPA in Manuka honey was further demonstrated by researchers at Waikato University, New Zealand. Hence it was confi rmed that the major component contributing to the unique antibacterial activity in Manuka honey is the chemical MGO. This marker is now also used as a grading system for the strength of activity. MGO is measured using sensitive chemical analytical equipment in parts per million (ppm). The UMF® Honey Association has established an offi cial MGO and NPA/UMF® convertor that can be found on their website: http://www.umf.org.nz

Typical examples of the correlation between MGO and NPA or UMF® are as follows:

• NPA or UMF® 5+ = MGO 83




It is important to ensure that the correct correlation between MGO and NPA/UMF® is used when assigning the strength of honey, as the larger number on MGO can be very misleading.

TESTING FOR ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY


Historically, Capilano has paid beekeepers on the basis of a millimetre reading from a biological assay test, which is used to illustrate the non-peroxide antibacterial activity of the honey. In simple terms, this measures the kill rate or zone of inhibition of a diluted honey applied to a well on a lawn culture of bacteria (Figure 3 - Biological Assay Test). This test was designed in New Zealand and has been widely used in the past. The millimetre (mm) measurement is used to calculate the NPA grade with the relationship shown in Figure 4.

MRSA Bacteria

Manuka Honey

Zone of Inhibition

Figure 3 - Biological Assay Test, showing different levels of antibacterial activity.

Relationship between NPA and MM

00.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

40.0

45.0

5 10 15 20 25 30

Zone of Inhibition (mm)

NPA

Figure 4 - Relationship between the Zone of Inhibition (mm) and NPA or UMF® grade.

In recent times, testing for Manuka honey activity has progressed from the labour intensive, error prone bacterial tests to the chemical analysis of MGO, which is then used to calculate the NPA or UMF® (Figure 5). This sensitive accurate test is now considered best practice for assigning the NPA of honey. The benefi t of this MGO test is that it also allows us to detect two other chemical markers in the honey known as Dihydroxyacetone (DHA) and Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in a single test.

Relationship between NPA and MGO

00.0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

NPA grade

MG

O c

onte

nt (p

pm)

Figure 5 - Relationship between NPA and MGO.

In 2009 scientists, again at the University of Waikato, showed that MGO in Manuka honey originates from the chemical compound DHA, which is present in the nectar of Manuka fl owers at varying degrees. In New Zealand, it has been demonstrated that the maximum potential concentration of MGO in any particular sample of Manuka honey can be indicated by its DHA concentration when the honey is produced. DHA is present in the nectar of some Leptospermum species and converts to MGO to produce the antibacterial activity. This conversion of DHA to MGO is complex and dependent on a number of factors. Both DHA and MGO naturally decrease over time, so there is a limit to how much a Manuka honey’s MGO concentration can increase, no matter how long it is stored or heated.

In Manuka honey supplied to Capilano, we use an independent third-party University laboratory to undertake the MGO test to assess non-peroxide antibacterial activity (NPA). The University

TESTING & PRICING MANUKA HONEY


TESTING & PRICING MANUKA HONEY

Laboratory is best equipped and experienced with the sophisticated chemical instrumentation and analysis required. Following the detection of MGO we can calculate the NPA grade direct from the MGO concentration. The following table illustrates the relationship, which is also shown in Figure 5:

Zone of Inhibition (mm)

NPA MGO (ppm)

10 10.4 279

11 11.6 335

12 12.9 402

13 14.4 479

14 15.9 569

15 17.6 672

16 19.4 789

17 21.3 922

18 23.4 1072

19 25.5 1240

20 27.8 1428

Capilano is changing the pricing of honey from February 2015 to be based on the more accepted NPA or UMF® grading system, rather than the less accurate measurement of millimetre (mm) zones of inhibition (Figure 3). At the same time we are raising prices and also paying more for lower activity honey, as shown in the following table:

NPA Zone of Inhibition (mm)

MGO Range (ppm)

Current Honey Price per kg

New Price per kg

5 2.7 83 - 112 $5.50 $7.00

6 5.0 113 - 144 $5.50 $7.00

7 6.5 145 - 180 $5.50 $7.00

8 7.7 181 - 219 $5.50 $7.00

9 8.7 220 - 262 $5.50 $9.00

10 9.7 263 - 307 $5.50 $14.00

11 10.5 308 - 354 $11.00 $15.00

12 11.3 355 - 405 $12.00 $16.00

13 12.1 406 - 458 $13.00 $17.00

14 12.8 459 - 513 $13.00 $18.00

15 13.4 514 - 572 $14.00 $19.00

16 14.0 573 - 632 $15.00 $20.00

17 14.6 633 - 695 $15.00 $21.00

18 15.2 696 - 760 $16.00 $22.00

19 15.8 761 - 828 $16.00 $23.00

20+ 16.3+ 829 and above $17.00 $25.00

Increasing the price paid for lower active grade honeys is aimed to better refl ect the honey's activity potential, should there be adequate DHA.

We are yet to fully understand the conversion rate of DHA to MGO in Australia, as it is different to that in New Zealand.


QUALITY EXPECTATIONS

Research has shown that the NPA is relatively stable in Manuka honey and can withstand both moderate heat and light exposure and still remain active and effective. As we have discussed earlier, the DHA content in the nectar produced by some Leptospermum species converts to MGO in the honey and creates the unique antibacterial NPA. One of the factors that infl uences this complex maturation from DHA to MGO is temperature and time. Some beekeepers have mistakenly heated and abused the honey thinking they will enhance the NPA. Heating at temperatures above 300C produces hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and international honey standards require honey to contain less than 40 parts per million (ppm) HMF on the retail shelf.

Heating honey to accelerate MGO formation may actually lessen the full NPA potential of the honey, while being detrimental to quality. More importantly it may well deem the honey unsaleable and of reduced or little value. Conversions from DHA to MGO are slower but yield better results at reduced temperatures, such as those between 20 – 300C. If beekeepers want to be paid the highest prices for their honey they need to ensure their product meets international regulations and is subjected to minimal heat exposure. Capilano has conducted many tests on Manuka honey for HMF and some of the results are concerning. This high HMF is likely to be the result of one or more factors, such as:

a) high temperature honey extraction processes;

b) beekeepers heating honey and ignoring the impacts of HMF;

c) high ambient temperatures in Australia;

d) storing honey outside in the Australian heat and sunlight;

e) Storing honey for too long, as HMF increases naturally as honey ages.

There are some key responsibilities we expect of beekeepers supplying active honey:

a) honey provided is well mixed and as homogenous as possible;

b) honey is clean and contains little foreign impurities, such as wax;

c) preferably, honey is mesh fi ltered to 600 micron;

d) moisture content is below 18%;

e) HMF is below 25 ppm;

f) no medication of bee colonies with antibiotics (eg. oxytetracycline);

g) beekeepers have in place a farm-gate quality system, such as BQUAL;

h) avoid long term storage;

i) use food grade extracting equipment (eg. stainless steel, food grade plastic);

j) ensure honey is well settled and containers are clean;

k) store honey under cover away from sunlight;

l) we prefer to receive Manuka honey in food grade drums to best test and accurately blend the honey in less than 300kg lots.

Capilano is implementing penalties to recover the cost of managing honeys outside required international specifi cations:

Honey with HMF results above 30 ppm are subject to a 15% price penalty reduction;

Honey with moisture contents above 18.5% are subject to a 15% price penalty reduction;

Penalties will become effective from 1 July 2015.


WHAT IS CAPILANO DOING TO SUPPORT YOU?

There are some key initiatives Capilano is investing in to better understand Manuka honey’s production, healing properties and consumer attraction, such as:

• Research being conducted by University of Sunshine Coast on Leptospermum species identifi cation and potential to produce active honey.

• Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation (RIRDC) project studying ‘Active Australian Leptospermum honey: new sources and their bioactivity’ with researchers from University of Technology, Sydney and University of Sunshine Coast. Funded by RIRDC, Comvita (NZ) and Capilano in collaboration with the research institutions.

• Genetic profi ling of leptospermum species to discover the links to activity potential.

• Better understanding the occurrence and rate conversion of DHA to MGO and HMF in Australian Manuka honeys from different species.

• Researching the stability of hydrogen peroxide in high total activity honeys.

• Identifying species and geographical areas of beekeeping importance for Manuka honeys and achieving access to these crown land resources for beekeepers.


CONCLUSIONS

The key messages we wish to convey:

• The total activity of honey refers to the hydrogen peroxide activity, which can be found in all honeys to varying degrees.

• Non-peroxide activity is unique to Leptospermum honeys and is the consequence of the presence of the chemical MGO.

• MGO originates from the conversion of the chemical DHA found in nectar.

• The NPA and UMF® is an equivalent test and number grading system, they are the same.

• Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) levels in honey greater than 40 ppm are unacceptable due to international regulations. HMF needs to be below 30 ppm in raw honey so that Capilano can meet international regulations in packed products.

• Capilano uses an independent third-party University laboratory to undertake the MGO tests to assess non-peroxide antibacterial activity. This test also determines the DHA and HMF of the honey.

• Increasing honey prices is aimed to better reward beekeepers and further encourage the production of Manuka honeys.

There are a range of species and regions of native Leptospermum in Australia and we want to encourage beekeepers to produce this type of honey. Capilano has been working on better understanding the distribution of Leptospermum trees in Australia and

how best to produce this honey. From time to time we will be updating beekeepers with further knowledge and the outcomes of research. In the meantime we will be concentrating on achieving the best returns from the market for beekeepers that produce Manuka honey. Supporting Capilano with supply enables us to achieve better support and commitment from our customers, which will ensure we have a viable and sustainable future for Manuka honey production in Australia.


399 Archerfi eld Road, Richlands (PO Box 531, Inala) QLD 4077.

T: +(61 7) 3712 8282 F: +(61 7) 3712 8286 E: [email protected]

www.capilano.com.au

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