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Unique Pollen Signatures In Australian Honey Could Help Tackle A Counterfeit Industry

posted by mrpg on Sunday August 12 2018, @04:31PM   Printer-friendly
from the sweet dept.

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

Australian honey, produced from domesticated European honey bees mostly foraging in native vegetation, is unique. Under the microscope, most Australian honey samples can be distinguished from honey produced in other countries.

That's the conclusion of our study, the first systematic examination of pollen contained within Australian honey.

We collaborated with two major honey retailers to survey the pollen content of a large number of unprocessed honey samples. We found that a unique mix of native flora gives Australian honey a distinctive pollen signature.

As fears grow about "counterfeit" or adulterated food, especially high-value foods like olive oil, coffee, saffron and honey, there's enormous benefit in preserving Australia's international reputation for high-quality products.

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 1) by Sulla on Sunday August 12 2018, @06:23PM (3 children)

    by Sulla (5173) on Sunday August 12 2018, @06:23PM (#720642) Journal

    That is until africanized honey bees decide to rush 50% of capacity and steal the honey chain for themselves

    --
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  • (Score: 2) by archfeld on Sunday August 12 2018, @07:37PM

    by archfeld (4650) <treboreel@live.com> on Sunday August 12 2018, @07:37PM (#720657) Journal

    For some reason I read that as 'Unionized' honey bees and it made me almost snort my juice :)

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  • (Score: 2) by driverless on Monday August 13 2018, @12:27AM (1 child)

    by driverless (4770) on Monday August 13 2018, @12:27AM (#720761)

    If it's African bees, they'll just steal the honey outright. And the beehives. And the fencing and power lines running nearby [*].

    Also, the headline is wrong, it should be:

    Marginally Interesting Research Paper Invents Problem for it to Solve to Make it Seem Relevant

    Counterfeit honey, yeah, that's a massive real-world problem.

    [*] This isn't just random racism, I've lived in Africa, I know how things work there.

    • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday August 13 2018, @09:34AM

      by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Monday August 13 2018, @09:34AM (#720879) Journal

      Counterfeit honey, yeah, that's a massive real-world problem.

      When you get the honey you produce manages to command a super-duper premium price (like $92 / 500g [beevitamins.com.au]) I think you may start having a problem too with counterfeit honey.

      See also Mānuka honey [wikipedia.org]

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      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford