IRISH-PRODUCED honey was found to be a healthier choice than imported honey because it it contains lower levels of the chemical hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), according to a recent scientific study carried out at the Limerick Institute of Technology.
While HMF is naturally present at low concentrations in most foodstuff, the heat treatment involved in processing honey can lead to elevated concentrations of the chemical.
Commercially processed honey undergoes heat treatment to prevent or delay crystallisation or to make it easier to package and make it more aesthetically pleasing.
Heat treatment trials showed that local Irish honey maintained levels of HMF well below EU limits while all the other honeys exceeded the upper limit of 80mg/kg in the same conditions.
“Studies in rodents have shown that HMF may be carcinogenic but this has not been confirmed for humans,” said student Saoirse Houlihan, who carried out the work.
“However, the EU has set an upper limit of 40mg/kg of HMF in honey, while honey which originates from tropical climates are allowed levels of up to 80mg/kg.
“Our results show that the local artisan honey had the lowest levels of HMF and was significantly below the EU limit of 40 mg/kg, while the two honeys of international origin were at the upper limits of the 80mg/kg EU limit.”
Ms Houlihan used Irish honey sourced in a health food shop and from a beekeeper in Co Clare. The international samples were a household name supermarket’s own brand range.
Work at the institute, which coincides with the Year of the Honeybee, has shown the indigenous honeybee population is healthy and may not be at the same risk of colony collapse as experienced in other countries.