What Are The Methods of Certifying Pure Mānuka Honey?

Mānuka honey is a delicious natural treat that is known worldwide. Many fans of this precious monofloral gold will also be aware of its rarity. With so much hype for pure Mānuka honey all over, it’s important that you remain vigilant about genuine Mānuka honey products. If you’re not familiar with Mānuka honey certifications, don’t worry - this blog will be your best friend!

This article will explore the various validation methods used to measure and verify the authenticity of Mānuka honey. While I’m sure you would prefer to just see the words ‘Mānuka honey’ and then purchase your item, it’s important that you look out for UMF™, MGO, Made in New Zealand and even unique features on the label. 

Does Your Mānuka Honey Say ‘Made in New Zealand’ 

One of the first checks of pure Mānuka honey is to understand where the honey originated from. To put it simply, monofloral Mānuka honey can only be found in New Zealand. Whenever you are exploring the shelves or online stores, it’s important you keep an eye out for the ‘Made in New Zealand’ stamp of approval. 

This symbol is typically seen as a fern mark and will be accompanied by a serial number. This mark tells you that this item not only originates from New Zealand but has gone through rigorous testing and meets the criteria set by the New Zealand Government. 

Particularly with Mānuka honey, the Ministry of Primary Industries has outlined strict guidelines as to what can be classified as monofloral (and multifloral) Mānuka honey. The Mānuka honey science definition explains the several biochemical markers that must be present in order to attain the title ‘monofloral’ (or produced from one flower’s nectar). 

Does Your Mānuka Honey Have At Least 80mg/kg of MGO?

MGO or methylglyoxal is one of the unique bioactive ingredients commonly found in Mānuka honey. While this component is frequently seen in honey varieties around the world, few honey types are at the concentration level of pure monofloral Mānuka honey. It is widely regarded that Mānuka honey can contain up to 100x the MGO of conventional honey. 

Additionally, Mānuka honey experts and artisans have found that 80mg/kg of MGO is the lowest concentration that can be present to still qualify Mānuka honey as monofloral. Any levels lower than MGO 80 are considered multifloral. But, why does any of this matter? Well, MGO has created a noticeable ‘buzz’ within the scientific community. 

There have been suggestions that MGO may contribute to unique antibacterial properties. These observations have been made in artificial environments within labs and thus require further studies to confirm the natural curing potential of pure Mānuka honey. 

Is Your Mānuka Honey UMF™-Certified?  

In continuation of the above, MGO plays an instrumental role in Mānuka honey being UMF™-certified. The Unique Mānuka Factor (UMF™) is widely considered to be the gold standard of Mānuka honey verification. Why exactly? UMF™is the only certification method to take into account the four key bioactive ingredients - each of which takes into account a unique aspect of Mānuka honey. 

UMF will include sufficient concentrations of:

1. Leptosperin (DNA marker) - measures the authenticity of Mānuka honey
2. Methylglyoxal (MGO) - measures the potency of Mānuka honey
3. Dihydroxyacetone (DHA) - measures the shelf-life of Mānuka honey
4. Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) - measures the freshness of Mānuka honey

When you purchase a jar of UMF™-certified Mānuka honey, you can rest assured that it will also be monofloral. For a Mānuka honey to become UMF certified, it must have at minimum 80mg/kg of MGO, which is the minimum required concentration for monofloral validation. 

Does Your Mānuka Honey Have Anti-Counterfeit Measures? 

A well-established Mānuka honey brand should have several anti-counterfeit measures to ensure a 100% pure New Zealand product. 

Each of PURITI’s jars is protected by over 11 separate anti-counterfeit security measures to give our customers the peace of mind that they are buying exactly what they want. Our unique jars have been stylistically crafted to be both aesthetically pleasing and protective of this distinctive New Zealand gift from nature. 

Some of these anti-counterfeit measures include: 

• Proprietary lid 
• Tamper-evident break/tear strip
• Hot stamp gold foil
• Blacklight invisible ink 
• Laser-etched jar

Buy PURITI with total confidence knowing that you will receive high-quality genuine New Zealand Mānuka honey that ticks all of your boxes. We are proud to deliver nothing short of sheer perfection with every order. 

PURITI Can Provide You With 100% Pure New Zealand Mānuka Honey

At PURITI, we provide sensational, creamy and untouched UMF™-certified Mānuka honey that exceeds all requirements to guarantee purity and potency. Each Mānuka honey product that we sell exceeds the minimum required leptosperin and MGO concentrations set by UMF™HA. As a result, consumers can buy from PURITI confidently, knowing that we are only selling 100% genuine New Zealand Mānuka honey.

Buy our Mānuka honey online for all your wellness needs.

References: 

Johnston, M., McBride, M., Dahiya, D., Owusu-Apenten, R., & Nigam, P. S. (2018). Antibacterial activity of Mānuka honey and its components: An overview. AIMS microbiology, 4(4), 655.