Today, honey is used by a large number of consumers in its raw state or through processed products from the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. However, in recent years, honey production in France has decreased: for example in 2017 when a decrease of 18.31% compared to 2015 was observed. Conversely, consumption remains stable, at around 40,000 tonnes per year in 2017. To compensate for this drop in production, French industrials resort to imports. But this is not without risk, as many frauds have been reported in recent years.
Honey composition analysis: traceability and quality
In order to guarantee industrials and consumers both traceability and quality, it is necessary to carry out analyses of the plant composition of honeys. These analyses can be chemical analyses to observe the presence of glucose (adulteration with sugar), pollen analyses and also genetic analyses. DNA Gensee, through its DNA analysis laboratory and metabarcoding technique, proves the traceability of hive products and thus makes it possible to map the different plant species present in honey, propolis or beeswax (Figure 1). These in-depth analyses are and will become increasingly essential to guarantee an irreproachable authenticity and quality commensurate with the benefits of honey and other products made by bees.
Figure 1: Relative abundance diagram of plant species present in honey.
