Chemistry of Honey |
Germany |
D.I.B. Association of Beekeeping of Germany |
Bashkir Bee Honey * |
Our quality standards |
Explanatory information |
Antioxidant and Antibacterial Effects |
No requirements |
No requirements |
|
We only supply German markets with honey which has antibacterial and antioxidant properties that are higher than that of the popular brands such as Manuka Honey (UMF 10+) and Life Mel. |
Amounts of fructose and glucose |
minimum 60 g/100 g |
no policy on these requirement |
66,6 g/100 g |
minimum 65g/100g |
Sugar is the main energy source of honey, more sugar suggests a better quality honey. High sugar also influences antibacterial properties because bacteria can not survive in high sugar contents. |
Moisture content |
maximum 20,0 % (DIN/AOAC) maximum 23,0 % (DIN/AOAC) |
maximum 18,0 % (DIN/AOAC) maximum 21,4 % (DIN/AOAC) |
16,7 % (DIN/AOAC) |
maximum 17,5 % (DIN/AOAC) |
This is an important quality characteristic. The ideal content is between 16% and 18%. Honey with a high moisture content begins to degrade, it looses it's therapeutic properties and begins to ferment. Honey with less than 15% has likely been overheated. |
Invertase enzymes (Of sugar) |
No requirement |
minimum 64,0 U/kg
Exception for honey with low enzymes 45,0 U/kg |
137 U/kg |
minimum 100 U/kg |
Enzymes are secreted by bees during the collection of nectar. Fermentation is an indication of overheating, because, at a high temperature, the enzyme count is lowered. Fermentation also affects the antibacterial properties of honey (introducing hydrogen oxides during hydrolysis). The best quality of honey, has the highest invertase enzyme count. |
Diastase units of Shade |
8 minimum units of Shade.
3 units of shade for honey with low enzymes. |
no policy on extra requirements |
43,9 Shade |
minimum Shade 24 |
Enzymes are secreted by bees during the collection of nectar. Fermentation is an indication of overheating because at high temperatures the enzyme count is lowered. A higher level of diastase means a better quality of honey. |
HMF |
maximum 40 mg/kg
maximum 15 mg/kg
for honey with low enzymes
maximum 80 mg/kg
for honey of tropical regions. |
maximum 15 mg/kg
maximum 5 mg/kg
for honey with low enzymes |
4,8 mg/kg |
maximum 4,9 mg/kg |
Determines freshness. HMF occurs naturally under normal outdoor temperatures and conditions, the HMF count goes up with increasing temperature. Good honey is measured at no more than 10 units. Lower HMF suggests better honey quality. |
Acidity |
maximum 50 mequ/kg
Im Allgemeinen |
no policy on extra requirements |
17,5 mequ/kg |
maximum 30 megu/kg |
Another antibacterial inhibiting factor. Lower acidity in honey makes it better at fighting bacterial infections because bacteria thrive in high acidity. Low acidity is also an important factor in the fermentation of honey. |
Electrical conductivity |
maximum 0,8 mS/cm, |
no policy on extra requirement |
0,34 mS/cm |
maximum 0,5 mS/cm |
Shows mineral content of honey. A higher electrical conductivity indicates a higher mineral content. |
pH factor |
No requirements |
No requirements |
4,2 pH factor |
max 4,5 pH factor |
Important characteristic because it directly affects the antibacterial properties of honey. A lower pH suggests higher antibacterial property. Harmful organisms can not survive if the pH level is between 3,5 and 4,5. |
Glycerol |
No requirements |
No requirements |
190 mg/kg |
Most at 250 mg/kg |
Low content suggests a higher quality of honey. High content leads to fermentation. |
Ethanol alcohol |
No requirements |
No requirements |
3,0 mg/kg |
4,0 mg/kg |
Low ethanol content suggests a higher quality of honey. High content leads to fermentation. |
Phenol
limited to 0,05 |
guideline 2377/90 section II |
Not found |
Not allowed |
Honey can contain the antibiotics Phenol and Amitraz; these components are used to treat bees. |
Amitraz
limited to 0,2 |
In accordance with directive 2377/90 European Community |
Not found |
Not allowed |
Lead (Pb)
limited to 0,05 |
In accordance with directive 1881/2006 European Community |
Not found |
Not allowed |
Traces of heavy metals can be harmful to health. Our laboratory tests prove that without question Bashkir Bee Honey is an ecologically clean product. |
Cadmium (Cd) limited to 0,02 |
In accordance with directive 1881/2006 European Community |
Not found |
Not allowed |
Mercury (Hg)
limited to 0,02 |
In accordance with directive 1881/2006 European Community |
Not found |
Not allowed |
Antibiotics (Tetracyclines, Streptomycins, Sulfonamides) |
The use of antibiotics in beekeeping is not governed |
Not found |
Not allowed |
Antibiotics are used to treat illnesses in bees. Sometimes traces of these elements can be found in honey and can be harmful to the consumer. |
Phosphorous pesticides limit 0.005 to 0.01 |
German directive on the use of pesticides |
Not found |
Not allowed |
Plants used by bees for making honey can contain pesticides. This usually pertains to plants found in the agricultural sector and populated areas. Honey containing pesticides can be very harmful to our health. |
Chloride pesticides limit 0.002 to 0.010 |
German directive on the use of pesticides |
Not found |
Not allowed |
Quality control
