NZ Honey Science Company and German University to Set Manuka Honey Standards

Scoop Independent News, 7/2/2007

Auckland, Monday, 2 July 2007. — A New Zealand honey health science company and a German university have joined forces in a bid to set industry standards for the use of manuka honey products to heal wounds, overcome stomach and skin problems, and potentially in the fight against cancer.

The move comes in the wake of the discovery by the university’s researchers of the compound responsible for manuka honey’s anti- bacterial activity.

Te Awamutu-based Manuka Health New Zealand Ltd and the Technical University of Dresden have formed a partnership to establish a process to certify levels of the compound in manuka honey.

Announcing the partnership today, Manuka Health chief executive Kerry Paul said the university’s Institute of Food Chemistry was the first to identify the compound methylglyoxal (MGO) and prove its high levels in some New Zealand manuka honeys.

Mr Paul said the discovery that honey’s anti-bacterial ability was directly related to MGO levels, was highly significant for the industry…

A research team led by Professor Thomas Henle, head of the Institute of Food Chemistry at Dresden, tested more than 80 honeys from around the world and found MGO levels as high as 700 mg/kg in some New Zealand manuka honeys, more than 70 times higher than ordinary honey. Previous research had shown the highest concentrations in any food or drink were about 100 mg/kg in cocoa and coffee.

Mr Paul said during their research, Professor Henle’s team had developed assays for measuring MGO in honey.

Mr Paul said medical researchers had found MGO had the potential to act specifically against malignant cells in the body and has a significant curative effect on a wide range of cancers in animals…