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Fighting honey fraud: European Committee for Standardization publishes new standard for authenticity testing

In a significant step towards combating honey fraud, the European Committee for Standardization (CEN and CENELEC) has published a new method for detecting adulterated honey. The new standard, EN 17958:2024, focuses on the determination of the δ13C value of different sugars - fructose, glucose, di-, and trisaccharides - through liquid chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (LC-IRMS).

 

Why the new standard matters

Honey adulteration, often involving the addition of cheap sugars or syrups, has become a widespread issue, threatening both consumer trust and the livelihoods of authentic honey producers. Traditional methods for detecting such fraud primarily revolved around identifying C4 plant-derived sugars, such as corn syrup, through techniques like EA-IRMS under the AOAC 998.12 standard.

The new LC-IRMS method broadens this capability by targeting C3 sugars, such as those derived from beet sugar or other sources, which were more challenging to detect with older methods.

A unified approach to honey fraud detection

With EN 17958:2024 joining AOAC 998.12 as an officially recognized standard, the industry now has a complementary pair of tools to combat both C3 and C4 sugar adulteration. This harmonized approach strengthens the fight against honey fraud and provides greater assurance to consumers and producers alike.

The BiovisION Honey IRMS system is fully compliant with both standards and allows laboratories to meet the demands of modern honey authentication.

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