The Human and Honey Connection
Humans across the world have been using bees to extract honey for a very long time. In 2015, archeologists’
working in Turkey wanted to understand where and when harvesting wild bees became popular for humans. The
archeologists’ dated ancient artifacts containing beeswax from at least 9000 years ago, this is 1500 years
earlier than they previously thought! The scientists believe that the beeswax they discovered was used by
Neolithic farmers in Europe and North Africa to waterproof cookware. During their research, they also
reported that bees are very common in Egyptian hieroglyphics dating back to 2400 B.C.E; with hieroglyphics
appearing to show people collecting honey.
Why Has Honey Been A Human Staple For Over 9000 Years?
Honey has been used across time and cultures because of its’ health benefits, medicinal uses, and functional
properties. Pure, real honey provides a good source of antioxidants and antibacterial agents that can treat
varying illnesses like digestive issues, sore throats, and wound healing complications. Honey is often used
as an alternative to sugar because it contains an abundance of nutrients, minerals, and enzymes. With all of
the positive benefits that honey offers it is easy to understand why there is a high demand for it.
Unfortunately, pure unadulterated honey can be difficult to find and is expensive. There are also strong
financial incentives among some distributors to increase their profit margins by stretching honey with
cheaper syrups.
Determining Quality with a Real Honey Test
The only way to detect with certainty if corn syrup has been used is by conducting a real honey test and
looking at the isotopic ratio of its carbon. While the sugars in corn syrup are very similar to those in
honey, the isotope ratio of corn is very different from that of nectars and a real honey test will report
this difference. A real honey test provides accountability to honey distributors and ensures that they will
meet their product quality guarantees.
When conducting a real honey test, Siratech uses an inexpensive carbon SIRA analysis which quickly tells you
if a honey has been grossly adulterated. We can also offer a more complete examination providing a more
quantitative estimate of the C4 addition. Siratech has also helped several clients process imported honey
shipments that have been detained by the FDA. These samples may be submitted to Siratech for a real honey
test and analysis to prove that it is not in violation of FDA restrictions. The real honey test can help if
the samples must be shown to be unadulterated by C4 sugars.
Do you need to determine if your honey is adulterated? Contact Siratech for a real honey test today.
