Re: Tests Show Most Store Honey Isn't Honey

Few ideas on way to test honey purity and origin.

In theory there should be a average amount of Bee DNA in a jar of
honey unless it is diluted. Bee specific Primers and the utilization
of Real Time PCR could be used here once the average amount of DNA in
an undiluted sample is figured out all samples would be compared to
this.

As for origin: I'm sure a similar approach PCR can be used. Every
area has a common flora this is what melissopalynology is based off
of. But melissopalynologist look at pollen grains not DNA. By using
Primers specific to the flora that exist in different geographic
regions and visualizing by electrophoresis you could still tell what
area the honey is coming from regardless of filtering.

On Nov 26, 10:04 am, Jeswin <phillyj...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Fri, Nov 25, 2011 at 7:51 PM, Patrik <patr...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Nice follow-up article on NPR:
>
> > Relax, Folks. It Really IsHoneyAfter All
> >http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2011/11/25/142659547/relax-folks-it-...
>
> > tl;dr: Mosthoneypackers filter theirhoneyusing diatomaceous earth
> > to keep thehoneyfrom crystallizing. This is not ultrafiltration, but
> > it does remove pollen. And Chinesehoneyis banned in the US primarily
> > because of a trade dispute, not for safety concerns.
>
> > Of course none of this rules out the "contaminated Chinesehoney
> > smuggled in through ultrafiltration" scenario, and I'd assume that
> > some amount of that is indeed going on. But the original study was
> > only about lack of pollen in most commercialhoney, which says nothing
> > about its origins.
>
> > --
>
> Very nice follow-up, Nate. I really should stop reading those comments
> at the end of articles. Everyone there was very negative towards the
> article. I don't think there's a scam going on. Even if there is,
> there's no reason to worry. We don't consume muchhoneyanyway (est.
> 1.2 lbs/year [1]).
>
> [1]http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/blogs/bees/colony-col...

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