The EU and UK legal definition of honey is specifically the product of Apis mellifera (Western Honey Bee). It excludes the product of Apis cerana (Asian Honey Bee). The authors of a recent study (here – purchase required) used multivariate statistical analysis on the GC-MS of fatty acids to identify two fatty acids (8-hydroxyoctanoic acid and 3,10-dihydroxydecanoic acid) that can be used as markers to differentiate honeys from the two different bee species.
Photo by David Clode on Unsplash
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