Honey -- 17 Brands Tested - Which Is The Best?

INSIGHT - The Consumer Magazine has published its in-house laboratory test findings on 17 brands of honey purchased from across the country and 2 loose samples, L1 and L2, in Ahmedabad. The brands tested were Amrut, Baidyanath, Brij, Dabur, Dhanvantari, Himalayan, Hyness, Indian, KVIC Cochin, KVIC Mumbai, Madh Sagar, Madhur, Mehsons, Pushp, Samskrithamadhu, Shreejee and West Bengal Bee Keeper’s Association (WBBKA).

The brands were tested against the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and the Agricultural Produce Grading and Marking Act (Agmark). Results were compared against the international standard, Codex Alimentarius. The PFA Act is mandatory.

A high sucrose content indicates artificial feeding of bees with sugar solution or adulteration of honey with sugar solution. Shreejee (9.1), Indian (11.4), Madhur (13.1) and L1 (9.9) did not conform to the parameter, i.e., a maximum limit of 5 per cent sucrose content.

Commercial invert sugar is also used as an adulterant. L2 showed positive, indicating adulteration.

The presence of a high amount of hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF) indicates poor quality. Either the honey was exposed to heat or storage conditions were poor. The PFA Act, the IS and Codex require the HMF to be not more than 80 mg per kg. Amrut (82), Baidyanath (191), Brij (145), Himalayan (396), KVIC Cochin (240), KVIC Mumbai (311), Madh Sagar (138), Madhur (316), Pushp (148), Shreejee (93), L1 (385) and L2 (654) showed poor quality.

The test for acidity tells us whether the honey is spoilt due to fermentation. L2 (0.3 per cent) did not conform to the requirements in India of 0.2.

With a low fructose-glucose ratio, honey forms granules or crystals faster instead of retaining its fluidity. Madhur (0.98) did not conform to the IS which requires a ratio of not less than 1.

The samples gave energy in the range of 284 to 315 kilocalories per 100 gm of honey.

Madhur, Samskrithamadhu and the WBBKA did not print the ‘best before’ date. The WBBKA did not carry a label on the bottle. So the date of packing, ‘best before’ date, lot number and net weight were missing. Agmark brands, Dhanvantari and Himalayan, did not mention the grade of honey on the label.

One sample each of Brij, Himalayan, KVIC Cochin and Madhur gave weight less than the minimum permissible limit as per the Stand-ards of Weights & Measures (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 1977.

Dabur scored the highest in flavour and after-taste. In clarity, Mehsons was the best, followed by Dabur.

As a policy, before publishing and publicising the results, we convey the test findings to all the manufacturers for their views and comments. They receive only the results of their own products. Manufacturers of Amrut, Baidyanath, Dabur, Dhanvantari, Hyness, Indian, KVIC Cochin, Madh Sagar, Mehsons, Samskrithamadhu and Shreejee responded. Brij and the WBBKA asked us to send them the results again. We did.

There was no response from the manufacturers of Himalayan, KVIC Mumbai, Madhur and Pushp. Details of rating and ranking, the ‘best buy’ and excerpts of our correspondence with the manufacturers have been published in INSIGHT - The Consumer Magazine.

Place : Ahmedabad
Date : 26-12-2003

Pritee Shah
Editor
INSIGHT —The Consumer Magazine

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Opinions, test results and research findings issued through this Press Release cannot be used in any form directly or indirectly for advertising, promotional or commercial purpose.

CONSUMER EDUCATION AND RESEARCH SOCIETY
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