G.C.C STANDARDIZATION ORGANIZATION (GSO)  
 
 
 
 
 
Final Draft
 
 
 
GSO 05/ FDS ---- / 201 1  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Prepared By  
GSO Technical Committee for  standards of food and agricultural  products  
 
 
This document is a draft GSO Standard circulated for comments. It is, 
therefore, subject to alteration and modification and may not be referred to 
as a GSO Standard until approved by GSO Board Of Directors
 
ICS: 67.081   
Honey for Food Industrial Uses " Baker's Honey"  
  
 GSO STAND ARD                                                                     GSO ---- /2011          
                   
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Date of Board of Directors’    
approval: 
Issuing Status  : 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
Honey f or Food Industrial Uses " Baker's Honey"  
 
  
 
 GSO STAND ARD                                                                     GSO ---- /2011          
                   
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Foreword  
 
GCC Standardization Organization (GSO) is a regional Organization which 
consists of the National Standards Bodies of GCC member States. One of GSO 
main functions is to issue Gulf Standards /Tec hnical regulation s through 
specialized technical committees (TCs).  
 
GSO through the technical program of committee TC No. 5 "Gulf   technical 
committee for standards of food and agriculture products" The Draft Standard 
has been prepared by Sultanate of Oman . The draft Standard has been prepared 
based on relevant ADMO, International and National foreign Standards and 
references.  
 
This standard has been approved as  a Gulf (Standard / Technical Regulation ) by 
GSO Board of Directors  in its meeting  No.(       ), held on      /    /            H ,     /     
/              G. The approved standard will replace and supersede the  GSO  standard 
No. (       /      ).    
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 GSO STAND ARD                                                                     GSO ---- /2011          
                   
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 Honey for Food Industrial Uses " Baker's Honey"  
  
1. SCOPE AND FIELD OF APPLICA TION  
This standard is concerned with honey for food industrial uses or cooking named as 
baker’s honey or cooking honey and does not apply to honey prepared for retail to 
direct  human  consum ption.  
 
2. COMPLEMENTARY REFERENCES  
2.1 GSO 9 “Labelling of Prepack aged Foods”.  
2.2               GSO 21 “Hygienic Regulations for Food Plants and Their Personnel”  
2.3 2.3 GSO 122 “Methods of Test for Honey”.  
2.4              GSO 147 “ Honey”  
2.5 GSO 1016  “Microbiological Criteria for Foodstuffs – Part 1"  
2.6 GSO 839 “Ge neral Regulations for Food Containers”  
2.7               GSO 1863  “Food Packages - Part 2: Plastic Packages - General  
                    Requirements”.  
2.8 GSO 150 “Expiration periods at food products”.  
2.9 GSO 168  " Requirements of Storage Facilities for  Dry and Canned Foodstuffs".  
 
3- DEFINITIONS  
3.1 Honey:  
 Is the natu ral sweet substance produced by honey  bees from the nectar of plants  
or secretions of parts or excretions of  plant sucking  insects on living parts of 
plants ,  which the bees  collect, tr ansform by combining with specific substances 
of their own, deposit, dehydrate , store and leave in honey  combs to ripen and 
mature.  
3.2 Baker’s honey:  
Is honey that is suitable for industrial uses or as an ingredient in other foodstuffs 
which are the n processed.  
 
4- REQUIREMENTS  
 The honey  for food industrial uses (Baker's honey)  shall meet the following 
requirements:  GSO STAND ARD                                                                     GSO ---- /2011          
                   
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 4.1 produced and prepared according to  GSO standard requirements mentioned in  
item (2.2)  
4.2 free from any foreign matter, organic or inorganic, such as insects, insect debris, 
brood, any part of the life cycle of the insect, grains of sand or any other 
impurities.  
4.3        The granulated honey shall have the same characteristics mentioned in item (4.8) of 
this standard for liquid hone y when heated to 55oC for half an hour.  
4.4 Sucrose and the natural or synthetic food additives are not permitted to  be added.  
4.5 Chemical or biochemical treatments shall not be used to influence honey 
crystallization . 
4.6 The percentage of nitrogen does not exceed 0.38% .  
4.7 The constituents of honey shall be as the following:  
4.7.1 The content  of apparent reducing sugar (as invert sugar) shall not be less than 
45%,  
4.7.2       The content of sucrose shall not exceed 15%  
4.7.3       The content of moistu re shall not exceed 25%  
4.7.4       The content of water -insoluble solids shall not exceed 0.5%.  
4.7.5       The content of ash shall not exceed 1%  
4.7.6       The content of acidity shall not exceed 80 milliequivalents acid per 1000 g. 
4.7.7       The cont ent of hydroxymethylfurfural content shall not exceed 80 mg/kg.  
4.8            Heavy metals in amounts which may represent a hazard to human health shall comply  
with the maximum levels for heavy metals set by the Codex Alimentarius   
Commission.  
4.9 Resid ues OF Pesticides and veterinary drugs  shall comply with the maximum residue   
limits for honey set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.   
4.10 Microbiological contaminats shall comply with GSO standard for the 
microbiological criteria mentioned in item (2 .5). 
 
5- SAMPLING  
Samples shall be carried out according to GSO standard mentioned in item 2.4 
6- METHODS OF TEST  
6.1 Tests shall be carried out on the representative sample taken according to item 5 
to determine its compliance with this standard.  GSO STAND ARD                                                                     GSO ---- /2011          
                   
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 6.2 Tests  shall be carried out according to GSO standard  mentioned in item 2.3  
6.3             Tests may be carried out according to the following methods  
Methods Test 
- AOAC 969.38B / J. Assoc. Public Analysts 
(1992) 28 (4) 183 -187 / MAFF Validated 
method V21.  Dete rmination  of moisture content  
- Assoc. Public Analysts (1992) 28 (4) 189 -193/ 
MAFF Validated method V22   Determination of water -insoluble solids 
content  
- AOAC 977.20 for sugar profile,  
- AOAC 991.41 internal standard for SCIRA 
(stable carbon isotope ratio a nalysis.   Determination of Sugars added   
- GSO 122  Determination of Sugars content 
Fructose and Glucose Content Sucrose 
content  
- J. Assoc. Public Analysts (1992) 28 (4) 171 -
175 / MAFF validated method V19   Determination of acidity content  
- AOAC 958.09 COD EX STAN 12 -1981 Page 
6 of 8 Adopted in 1981. Revisions 1987 and 
2001  Determination of Diastase Activity  
- AOAC 980.23  Determination of hydroxyl methyl 
furfural  (HMF) content  
 
7- PACKAGING, TRANSPORTATION AND STORAGE  
 The following rules shall be observed in packaging, transportation and storage:  
7.1 Packaging  
7.1.1              Without prejudice to provision of GSO Standard s mentioned in item (2. 6) and  
item (2.7),the product shall be filled in suitable, clean, dry and airtight 
containers. The containers sha ll not cause any undesirable changes to honey 
during handling and storage.  
7.1.2 When the product import ed the size of containers shall be not suitable to retail 
for consumer, and may repack ed in suitable container s for direct retail 
according to item 8.1  
  7.2 Transportation  
 Containers shall be transported at 25oC and in such a way as to protect them from 
mechanical damage and contamination.  GSO STAND ARD                                                                     GSO ---- /2011          
                   
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 7.3 Storage  
The containers shall be stored at 25oC and kept away from sources of high temperature 
and contamination  and according to GSO standard mentioned in items (2.9).  
 
8- LABELLING  
 Without prejudice to the  GSO standard  requirements mentioned in item s (2.1)  
and (2.8) , the following shall be considered:  
8.1 name of product can be designated “cooking Honey”, “Baker’ s honey” or “honey 
for food industrial uses”  
8.2 Date of production in a non -coded manner (month and year).  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 GSO STAND ARD                                                                     GSO ---- /2011          
                   
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OFFIC IAL JOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN 
COMMUNTIES  
COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 2001/110/EC 
of 20 December 2001 relating to honey