Page
1
of
10
Honey
BUREAU
OF
AGRICULTURE
AND
FISHERIES
STANDARDS
BPI
Compound
Visayas
Avenue,
Diliman,
Quezon
City
1101
Philippines
Phone
(632)
920-6131;
(632)
455-2856;
(632)
467-9039;
Telefax
(632)
455-2858
E-mail:
bafpsda@yahoo.com.ph
Website:
www.bafps.da.gov.ph
PHILIPPINE
NATIONAL
STANDARD
PNS/BAFS
ICSPHILIPPINE
NATIONAL
STANDARD
PNS/BAFS
Honey
Page
2
of
10
Foreword
This
Philippine
National
Standard
(PNS)
for
Honey
adopts
the
Codex
Standard
for
Honey
(CODEX
STAN
12-1981)
with
some
modifications
to
suit
the
local
production
practices
in
the
Philippines
and
was
developed
by
the
Technical
Working
Group
(TWG)
organized
by
the
Bureau
of
Agriculture
and
Fisheries
Standards
(BAFS
).
The
TWG
is
composed
of
members
coming
from
government
institutions
such
as
the
Bureau
of
Animal
Industry
-
which
is
the
official
food
safety
agency
in
charge
of
the
commodity
and
the
National
Livestock
Program
under
the
Office
of
the
Undersecretary
for
Livestock,
academic
institutions
such
as
the
National
Apiculture
Research,
Training,
and
Development
Institut
e,
and
Benguet
State
University
,
as
well
as
private
stakeholders
from
beekeeping
groups
like
Apimondia
and
BEENET,
with
BAFS
as
Secretariat.
The
proposed
standard
was
presented
and
reviewed
during
consultative
meetings
with
the
concerned
s
takeholders.
Comments
gathered
during
the
consultations
were
carefully
evaluated
by
the
TWG
and
included
accordingly
in
the
final
version
of
this
standard.PHILIPPINE
NATIONAL
STANDARD
PNS/BAFS
Honey
Page
3
of
10
1
Scope
This
Standard
applies
to
all
honeys
produced
by
bees
and
covers
all
styles
of
honey
presentations
which
are
processed
and
ultimately
intended
for
direct
consumption.
2
Description
2.1
Defini
tion
Honey
is
the
natural
sweet
substance
produced
by
bees
from
the
nectar
of
plants
or
from
secretions
of
living
parts
of
plants
or
excretions
of
plant
sucking
insects
on
the
living
parts
of
plants,
which
the
bees
collect,
transform
by
combining
with
specific
substances
of
their
own,
deposit,
dehydrate
,
store
and
leave
in
the
honey
comb
to
ripen
and
mature.
2.1.1
Blossom
Honey
or
Nectar
Honey
is
the
honey
which
comes
from
nectars
of
plants.
2.1.2
H
oneydew
Honey
is
the
honey
which
comes
mainly
from
excretions
of
plant
sucking
insects
(
Hemiptera
)
on
the
living
parts
of
plants
or
secretions
of
living
parts
of
plants.
2.2
Description
Honey
consists
essentially
of
different
sugars,
predominantly
fructose
and
glucose
as
well
as
other
substances
such
as
organic
acids,
enzymes
and
solid
particles
derived
from
honey
collection.
The
colour
of
honey
varies
from
nearly
colourless
to
dark
brown.
The
consistency
can
be
fluid,
viscous
or
partly
to
entirely
crystallised.
The
flavour
and
aroma
vary,
but
are
derived
from
the
plant
origin.
3
Essential
Composition
and
Quality
Factors
3.1
Honey
sold
as
such
shall
not
have
added
to
it
any
food
ingredient,
including
food
additives,
nor
shall
any
other
additions
be
made
other
than
honey
.
Honey
shall
not
have
any
objectionable
matter
,
flavour,
aroma,
or
taint
absorbed
from
foreign
matter
during
its
processing
and
storage.
The
honey
shall
not
have
begun
to
ferment
or
effervesce.
No
pollen
or
constituent
particular
to
honey
may
be
removed
except
where
this
is
unavoidable
in
the
removal
of
foreign
inorganic
or
organic
matter.
3.2
Honey
shall
not
be
heated
or
processed
to
such
an
extent
that
its
essential
composition
is
changed
and/
or
its
quality
is
impaired.
3.3
Chemical
or
biochemical
treatments
shall
not
be
used
to
influence
honey
crystallisation.
3.4
M
oisture
Content
(a)
Honeys
not
listed
below
-
not
more
than
2
0
%
(b)
Wild
honey
-
not
more
than
23%PHILIPPINE
NATIONAL
STANDARD
PNS/BAFS
Honey
Page
4
of
10
3.5
S
ugars
Content
3.5.1
Fructose
and
Glucose
Content
(sum
of
both)
(a)
Honey
not
listed
below
-
not
less
than
60
g/100g
(b)
Honeydew
honey,
blends
of
honeydew
honey
with
blossom
honey
-
not
less
than
45
g/100g
3.5.2
Sucrose
Content
(a)
Honey
not
listed
below
not
more
than
5
g/100g
(b)
Citrus
spp.,
False
Acacia
(
Robinia
pseudoacacia
),
Red
Gum
(Eucalyptus
camaldulensis
)
not
more
than
10
g/100g
(c)
Banana,
Pineapple
not
more
than
15
g/100g
3.6
Water
Insoluble
Solids
Content
(a)
Honeys
other
than
pressed
honey
-
not
more
than
0.1
g/100g
(b)
Pressed
honey
-
not
more
than
0.5
g/100g
4.
C
ontaminants
4.1
H
eavy
Metals
Honey
shall
be
free
from
heavy
metals
in
amounts
which
may
represent
a
hazard
to
human
health.
The
products
covered
by
this
Standard
shall
comply
with
those
maximum
levels
for
heavy
metals
established
by
the
Codex
Alimentarius
Commission.
4.2
R
esidues
of
Pesticides
and
Veterinary
Drugs
The
products
covered
by
this
standard
shall
comply
with
those
maximum
residue
limits
for
honey
established
by
the
Codex
Alimentarius
Commission.
5.
H
ygiene
5.1
It
is
recommended
that
the
products
covered
by
the
provisions
of
this
standard
be
prepared
and
handled
in
accordance
with
the
appropriate
sections
of
the
Recommended
International
Code
of
Practice
-
General
Principles
of
Food
Hygiene
recommended
by
the
Codex
Alimentarius
Commission
(CAC/RCP
1-1969),
and
other
relevant
Codex
texts
such
as
Codes
of
Hygienic
Practice
and
Codes
of
Practice.
5.2
The
products
should
comply
with
any
microbiological
criteria
established
in
accordance
with
the
Principles
for
the
Establishment
and
Application
of
Microbiological
Criteria
for
Foods
(CAC/GL
21-1997).
6.
L
abeling
In
addition
to
the
provisions
of
the
General
Standard
for
the
Labelling
of
Pre-packaged
Foods
(CODEX
STAN
1-1985),
the
following
specific
provisions
apply:
6.1
T
he
Name
of
the
Food
6.1.1
Products
conforming
to
the
Standard
shall
be
designated
'honey'.PHILIPPINE
NATIONAL
STANDARD
PNS/BAFS
Honey
Page
5
of
10
6.1.2
For
products
described
in
2.1.1
the
name
of
the
food
may
be
supplemented
by
the
term
“
blossom
”
or
“
nectar
”
.
6.1.3
For
products
described
in
2.1.2
the
word
“
honeydew
”
may
be
placed
in
close
proximity
to
the
name
of
the
food.
6.1.4
For
mixtures
of
the
products
described
in
2.1.1
and
2.1.2
the
name
of
the
food
may
be
supplemented
with
the
words
“
a
blend
of
honeydew
honey
with
blossom
honey
”
.
6.1.5
Honey
may
be
designated
by
the
name
of
the
geographical
or
topographical
region
if
the
honey
was
produced
exclusively
within
the
area
referred
to
in
the
designation.
6.1.6
Honey
may
be
designated
according
to
floral
or
plant
source
if
it
comes
wholly
or
mainly
from
that
particular
source
and
has
the
organoleptic,
physicochemical
and
microscopic
properties
corresponding
with
that
origin.
6.1.7
Where
honey
has
been
designated
according
to
floral
or
plant
source
(6.1.6)
then
the
common
name
or
the
botanical
name
of
the
floral
source
shall
be
in
close
proximity
to
the
word
"honey".
6.1.8
Where
honey
has
been
designated
according
to
floral,
plant
source,
or
by
the
name
of
a
geographical
or
topological
region,
then
the
name
of
the
country
where
the
honey
has
been
produced
shall
be
declared.
6.1.9
The
subsidiary
designations
listed
in
6.1.10
may
not
be
used
unless
the
honey
conforms
to
the
appropriate
description
contained
therein.
The
styles
in
6.1.11
(b)
and
(c)
shall
be
declared.
6.1.10
Hone
y
may
be
designated
according
to
the
method
of
removal
from
the
comb
.
(a)
Extracted
Honey
is
honey
obtained
by
centrifuging
decapped
broodless
combs.
(b)
Pressed
Honey
is
honey
obtained
by
pressing
broodless
combs.
(c)
Drained
Honey
is
honey
obtained
by
draining
decapped
broodless
combs.
6.1.11
Honey
may
be
designated
according
to
the
following
styles:
(a)
Honey
which
is
honey
in
liquid
or
crystalline
state
or
a
mixture
of
the
two;
(b)
Comb
Honey
which
is
honey
stored
by
bees
in
the
cells
of
freshly
built
broodless
combs
and
which
is
sold
in
sealed
whole
combs
or
sections
of
such
combs;
(c)
Cut
comb
in
honey
or
chunk
honey
which
is
honey
containing
one
or
more
pieces
of
comb
honey.
6.1.12
Honey
which
has
been
filtered
in
such
a
way
as
to
result
in
the
significant
removal
of
pollen
shall
be
designated
filtered
honey
.
6.2
Labelling
of
N
on-
R
etail
C
ontainers
6.2.1
Information
on
labelling
as
specified
in
The
General
Standard
for
the
Labelling
of
Pre-packaged
Foods
and
in
Section
6.1
shall
be
given
either
on
the
container
or
in
accompanying
documents,
except
that
the
name
of
the
product,
lot
identification
and
the
name
and
address
of
the
producer,
processor
or
packer
shall
appear
on
the
container.PHILIPPINE
NATIONAL
STANDARD
PNS/BAFS
Honey
Page
6
of
10
7
Methods
o
f
Sampling
a
nd
Analysis
The
methods
of
sampling
and
analysis
to
be
employed
for
the
determination
of
the
compositional
and
quality
factors
are
detailed
below:
7.1
Sample
Preparation
Samples
should
be
prepared
in
accordance
with
AOAC
920.180.
7.2
Determination
o
f
Moisture
Content
3
AOAC
969.38B
/
J.
Assoc.
Public
Analysts
(1992)
28
(4)
183-187
/
MAFF
Validated
method
V21
for
moisture
in
honey.
7.3
Determination
o
f
Sugars
Content
4
7.3.1
Fructose
and
Glucose
Content
(sum
of
both)
7.3.2
Sucrose
content
7.4
Determination
o
f
Water-Insoluble
Solids
Content
J.
Assoc.
Public
Analysts
(1992)
28
(4)
189-193/
MAFF
Validated
method
V22
for
water
insoluble
solids
in
honey
7.5
Determination
o
f
Electrical
Conductivity
4
7.6
Determination
o
f
Sugars
Added
t
o
Honey
(Authenticity)
5
AOAC
977.20
for
sugar
profile
,
AOAC
991.41
internal
standard
for
SCIRA
(stable
carbon
isotope
ratio
analysis).PHILIPPINE
NATIONAL
STANDARD
PNS/BAFS
Honey
Page
7
of
10
ANNEX
This
text
is
intended
for
voluntary
application
by
commercial
partners
and
not
for
application
by
governments.
1.
A
dditional
Composition
and
Quality
Factors
Honey
may
have
the
following
compositional
and
quality
factors:
1.1
F
ree
Acidity
The
free
acidity
of
honey
may
be
not
more
than
50
milliequivalents
acid
per
1000g.
1.2
D
iastase
Activity
The
diastase
activity
of
honey,
determined
after
processing
and/or
blending,
in
general
not
less
than
8
Schade
units
and
in
the
case
of
honeys
with
a
low
natural
enzyme
content
not
less
than
3
Schade
Units.
1.3
H
ydroxymethylfural
Content
The
hydroxymethylfurfural
content
of
honey
after
processing
and/or
blending
shall
not
be
more
than
40
mg/kg
.
However,
in
the
case
of
honey
of
declared
origin
from
countries
or
regions
with
tropical
ambient
temperatures,
and
blends
of
these
honeys,
the
HMF
content
shall
not
be
more
than
80
mg/kg.
1.4
E
lectrical
Conductivity
(a)
honey
not
listed
under
(b)
or
(c),
and
blends
of
these
honeys
-
not
more
than
0.8
mS/cm
(b)
Honeydew
and
chestnut
hon
ey
and
blends
of
these
except
with
those
listed
under
(c)
-
not
less
than
0.8
mS/cm
(c)
Exceptions
:
Eucalyptus,
Lime
(Tilia
spp)
,
Tea
tree
(Melaleuca
spp).
2.
M
ethods
of
Sampling
and
Analysis
The
methods
of
sampling
and
analysis
to
be
employed
for
the
determination
of
the
additional
compositional
and
quality
factors
set
out
in
Section
1
of
this
Annex
are
detailed
below:
2.1
S
ample
Preparation
The
method
of
sample
preparation
is
described
in
section
7.1
of
the
Standard.
In
the
determination
of
diastase
activity
(2.2.2)
and
hydroxymethylfurfural
content
(2.2.3),
samples
are
prepared
without
heating.
2.2
M
ethods
of
Analysis
2.2.1
Determination
of
Acidity
J.
Assoc.
Public
Analysts
(1992)
28
(4)
171-175
/
MAFF
validated
method
V19
for
acidity
in
honey
2.2.2
Determination
of
Diastase
Activity
AOAC
958.09
2
.2.3
Determination
of
hydroxymethylfurfural
(HMF)
content
AOAC
980.23PHILIPPINE
NATIONAL
STANDARD
PNS/BAFS
Honey
Page
8
of
10
REFERENCES
Codex
Standard
for
Honey.
Adopted
1981.
Revised
1987
and
2001.PHILIPPINE
NATIONAL
STANDARD
PNS/BAFS
Honey
Department
of
Agriculture
Bureau
of
Agriculture
and
Fisheries
Standards
Technical
Working
Group
(TWG)
for
the
Development
of
Philippine
National
Standard
(PNS)
for
Honey
Members
Cleofas
F.
Cervancia,
MSc,
PhD
Albert
D.
Marcia
Professor
Emeritus
and
President
Entomologist
University
of
the
Philippines
-
Los
Ba
ñ
os
APIMONDIA
Regional
Commission
for
Asia
BEENET
Philippines
Lourdes
R.
Ersando,
DVM
Hernando
M.
Tipa
Veterinarian
Agriculturist
Bureau
of
Animal
Industry
Bureau
of
Animal
Industry
Joseph
A.
Panas
George
T.
Bondot
Researcher
Researcher
National
Apiculture
Research,
Training
and
Development
Insitute
National
Apiculture
Research,
Training
and
Development
Insitute
Marcia
Lanuza
Cherry
Ann
Fajardo
Senior
Technical
Assistant
Senior
Administrative
Assitant
Office
of
the
Undersecretary
for
Livestock
-
National
Livestock
Program
Office
of
the
Undersecretary
for
Livestock
-
National
Livestock
Program
Lita
M.
Colting
Professor
Benguet
State
University
Secretariat
Lara
V.
Navarro
Senior
Science
Research
Specialist
Alpha
P.
Mateo-Lanuza,
DVM
Senior
Science
Research
Specialist
Gari
Pellinor
U.
Hernandez,
DVM
Science
Research
Specialist
Abbie
Stephanie
S.
Uy,
DVM
Research
Assistant
Bureau
of
Agriculture
and
Fisheries
Standards-Department
of
AgricultureBPI
Compound
Visayas
Avenue,
Diliman,
Quezon
City
1101
Philippines
T
elephone
(632)
920.6131
/
455.2856
/
467.9039
T
elefax
(632)
455.2858
/
456.6552
E-mail:
bafpsda@yahoo.com.ph
Website:
www.bafps.da.gov.ph