Subject: _Apis_ 1/96

From: [email-masked] (Adam Finkelstein)
Date: 27 Jan 1996 17:33:15 GMT

Florida Extension Beekeeping Newsletter
    Apis--Apicultural Information and Issues (ISSN 0889-3764)
                Volume 14, Number 1 January 1996

                  HONEY QUALITY IN THE TROPICS

     What is the best honey?  That's an often-asked question for
which there is no pat response.  Answers can range from a short
retort to a lengthy description.  Honey quality lies in the eye of
the beholder and taster.  It's subjective in so many ways.  That's
why I don't enjoy judging honey shows.  For a more in-depth
discussion of this see ENY 129, Honey Judging and Standards.  I
will mail out copies on request while they last.

     Honey quality also is a matter of tradition.  If one looks at
apiculturally related activity in Europe, for example, a good deal
of effort goes into researching honey quality and each country has
a rigorous testing procedure.  In the United States, however, honey
quality often takes a back seat to management and other industry
issues.

     A periodic publication on the Internet by Andrew Matheson,
director of the International Bee Research Association (IBRA),
reveals some current European thinking on honey quality.  In
December, Mr. Matheson attended a meeting on tropical honey
organized by the group NECTAR, the Netherlands Expertise Centre for
Tropical Apicultural Resources.  Established in 1990, this non-
profit association is a focus for people in the Netherlands working
in tropical beekeeping and bee science (of whom there are quite a
few).  Speakers from nine different countries and a varied audience
pooled their knowledge and experience promoting considerable
discussion on the  harvest, composition, processing, storage and
marketing of honey in tropical apicultural systems.  Because
Florida lies in the subtropics, many of the issues addressed are
also of concern in the Sunshine State.  They are also important for
those who would like to keep abreast of developments in the export
market.

Moisture:

     One of the biggest problems facing beekeepers in tropical
areas is high water content in honey.  This can push the product
over the legal limit in many countries, according to Mr. Matheson.
It also may be responsible for fermentation.  However, Mr. Matheson
continues, in some cases a high-moisture product, and even a
fermenting one, is desirable.  If marketing is (in simple terms)
producing what the consumer wants, then fermenting honey can
sometimes fit the bill.  In some countries fermentation is a sign
of honey's freedom from adulteration, unlike what Mr. Matheson
calls that "squeaky-clean imported stuff" which has a dubious
reputation for purity.

     In general, however, high water content is a problem for
potential honey exporters, and often creates storage problems, Mr.
Matheson says.  Kwame Aidoo of Ghana gave the results of a small
survey of honey being sold by 40 beekeepers who use top-bar hives.
The average water content was 21.4% (range  17.6-24.0%).  The water
content can depend on season and region.  It also varies with the
plant species and even the kind of bee used.  As an example, the
water content of Apis cerana honey in Vietnam was reported as
follows: eucalyptus  27%, longan 24% and jujuba 23.5%.  Apis
dorsata honey came in at 28%, while Apis florea was 32.2%; the
latter two were observed four months after harvest, but
unfortunately the details of the storage conditions were not
supplied.  And at times, Mr. Matheson concludes, it is impossible
for bees to dry honey adequately.

     Although Mr. Matheson did not mention it, when the bees fail
to take out the moisture, it may be time for the beekeeper to step
in.  Honey producers in Canada have been leaders in developing
methods to dry honey in storage.  Many even take the crop before it
is capped and finish the drying job indoors.  I published a resume
of one technique in the fact sheet number ENY 130 entitled Moisture
in Honey.  Copies are still available on request.

Other Quality Measures:

     The European market, according the Mr. Matheson, is especially
sensitive to several quality parameters, especially diastase and
HMF levels.  Unfortunately, testing for these materials is somewhat
expensive, particularly for developing countries.  And sometimes
basic analyses for sucrose content, even water content, are beyond
the reach of some agencies.

     This could all change, however, thanks to work reported by J.
D.  Kerkvliet of the Netherlands, Mr. Matheson says.  A series of
five analytical methods, low in cost and simple to carry out, has
been developed to check for:

*    Water content;
*    Invert sugars and sucrose;
*    HMF;
*    Pollen and sugar cane plant cells; and
*    Enzyme levels;

These methods were developed as part of a Dutch-Nepalese project.
After they were implemented in Nepal, there was significant
improvement in honey quality.

     Mr. Matheson thinks those that analyze for pollen and enzyme
levels are especially valuable tests that almost anyone can use to
advantage.  To test for cane sugar adulteration, for example, honey
is centrifuged and examined microscopically.  Even a few percent of
cane sugar added will result in visible amounts of characteristic
parenchyma, slereid and epidermal cells, as well as simple rings
>from  ring vessels, originating from the sugar cane stem.  The test
is not 'fooled' by bees foraging on the cut stumps of sugar cane.
This method was written up in Apidologie 26: 131-139 (1995).

     For HMF, Mr. Matheson says, a relatively inexpensive
'Merckoquant' peroxide test strip can also be used to check for the
presence of hydrogen peroxide in a honey solution.  If peroxide
production is at least 10 micrograms per gram per hour at 20
degrees C, then HMF is less than or equal to 40 mg/kg (with a 95%
confidence level) and might even be below 20 mg/kg.  Unfortunately
this method has been written up only in Dutch (with an English
summary): [Screening method for the determination of glucose
oxidase activity in honey.]  Ware(n)chemicus 24: 160-163 (1994).
Dr  Kerkvliet told Mr. Matheson he plans to write a paper on this
in English.

Fair Trade in Tropical Honey:

     Many may have seen 'fair trade' products, especially in
Europe, according to Mr. Matheson.  Coffee and chocolate are the
usual products, but honey has now been added to this mix.  This
market segment is rapidly growing, and represents a real
opportunity for beekeepers in some tropical countries.  Mr.
Matheson gave an overview of a presentation by Jos. Harmsen of the
Max Havelaar/Trans Fair Seal organization.

     Mr. Matheson says it's important to realize that the Max
Havelaar organization doesn't sell honey itself; it is a quality
assurance body, promoting the 'fair trade' seal to consumers.  It
controls the licensees who use the seal and keeps a register of
producers.  The 'fair trade' seal system goes under the Max
Havelaar name in the Netherlands, Trans Fair in some other European
countries and Fair Trade in the UK.  The concept began a few years
ago, Mr. Matheson says, but the products were sold only in aid
shops or health food outlets so market share was destined to remain
small.  However, the Max Havelaar organization, formed in 1988
based on coffee, now appears in 90 percent of supermarkets; in 1993
chocolate was added and honey in 1994.  The organization works in
12 European countries now, and will be moving into two more during
1996.

     What constitutes fair trade?  The Max Havelaar organization
has developed a number of criteria, according to Mr. Matheson.  It
recommends buying directly from organizations of small beekeepers
that are democratically run, thus giving producers a say in how the
trade is conducted.  And it emphasizes paying a fair price, which
for honey is currently $US 1,550/tonne f.o.b. with a premium of $US
2000/ton for certified organic honey. It gives access to credit
facilities, with up to 60 percent of the contract price available
up front if requested, and enters into long-term contracts to
ensure security for the producers.

     The 'fair trade' seal can be used on retail containers only if
all the honey contained in them meets all these criteria, Mr.
Matheson says.  From promoting honey only in the Netherlands in
1994, and only there and in Switzerland in 1995, 330 tonnes of
honey was sold under the Max Havelaar/Trans Fair label in 1995.
With modest growth in those markets and the addition of Germany,
the volume for 1996 is expected to reach 1,100 tonnes.  Honey is
the responsibility of the German office of the Max Havelaar/Trans
Fair  Seal organization: TransFair International, Am Ochsenberg 16,
D-73614 Schorndorf, email [email-masked], fax (+49)
7181-65546, phone  (+49) 7181-65417.

     Using the best evidence available, according to Mr. Matheson,
only about 17 percent of the world's honey is produced in the
tropics.  There are several major problems involved:

1.  World market prices are low; domestic prices are usually
higher.
2.  Only high volume is deemed exportable; few have the wherewithal
to produce honey in quantity.
3.  High water content, foreign matter such as impurities from the
hive or the harvesting method, and adulteration with cane sugar are
also potential problems.
4.  HMF and diastase may also be elevated because of high
temperatures.

     In spite of the problems, Mr. Matheson says, opportunities
exist to increase trade.  They are:  1) activities of the 'fair
trade' organizations mentioned above and 2) the rise in organic
honey.  The latter, Mr. Matheson says, is growing in popularity.
And it's no longer a matter of producing honey in untouched
forested areas and slapping on an 'organic' label.  Both producing
and processing operations must be certified by an organization
recognized in the end market (such as the Soil Association in the
UK, Naturland in Germany and the VSBLO in Switzerland).
Requirements vary between certifying bodies, but for honey they
typically include these:

*    Bees must forage only in organically cultivated or natural
vegetation that has been free of pesticides for at least two years;
*    There should be no conventionally farmed land within 6 km;
*    The colony should not be destroyed at harvest;
*    Only organically produced beeswax may be used in foundation;
*    No instrumental insemination is permitted;
*    No artificial products may be used for feeding the bees, nor
any drugs  administered; and
*    Finally, there are rules about packaging and processing.

     Accreditation for organic marketing doesn't come cheaply,
according to Mr. Matheson.  It involves a field visit for an
African country--although some costs can be shared if several
producers are applying-- plus several hundred dollars per year
membership fee and a levy of 1 percent on sales.  But the market is
growing strongly, and is probably around 500 tons/year.

                    REMINDER ABOUT 4-H ESSAYS

     Remember that 4-H Essays are due by February 12, 1996 and they
must be forwarded to this office by a 4-H worker or official.  See
the September 1995 Apis for more details.

                       MEETINGS IN FLORIDA

     Several bee meetings will be taking place in Florida in
February:

1.  February 10, 1996 will mark the second annual Empire State
Honey Producers Association meeting in Florida at Archbold
Biological Station south of Lake Placid.  The phone number is
813/465-2571.

2.  Two workshops are planned at the Clay County Cooperative
Extension Service building west of Green Cove Springs, 2463 State
Road, 16W.  One for "beginners" is scheduled Saturday, February 17,
8:30 to 5:00.  The other for "more advanced" beekeepers will be the
next Saturday, February 24.  Interested persons can attend both if
sessions if they wish.  There is a $10/person fee, which includes
a catered lunch.  Reservations for both workshops must be in hand
by February 15, 1996.  For more information, call 904/269-6355,
904/284-6355 or 904/473-3711.

Sincerely,

Malcolm T. Sanford
Bldg 970, Box 110620
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611-0620
Phone (352) 392-1801, Ext. 143
FAX: 352-392-0190
Address: [email-masked]
APIS on the World Wide Web--
http://gnv.ifas.ufl.edu/~entweb/apis/apis.htm

-- 
_________________
Adam Finkelstein                    
[email-masked]