Publication of an application for registration of a name pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs

(2022/C 397/09)

This publication confers the right to oppose the application pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1) within three months from the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Goranski medun’

EU No: PDO-HR-02617 – 7.7.2020

PDO (X) PGI ( )

1. Name(s) [of PDO or PGI]

‘Goranski medun’

2. Member State or Third Country

Republic of Croatia

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.4 Other products of animal origin (eggs, honey, various dairy products except butter, etc.)

3.2. Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies

‘Goranski medun’ is a honey produced by the autochthonous bee species, the Carniolan honey bee (Apis mellifera carnica, Pollmann 1879) from honeydew, a sweet liquid most commonly found, under the right conditions, on both coniferous (fir, spruce) and deciduous trees (oak, beech, maple).

Its composition and quality set ‘Goranski medun’ far apart from most other honeys on the market. ‘Goranski medun’ contains more mineral substances, which accounts for its higher electrical conductivity and specific organoleptic properties (taste, fragrance, tactile and visual properties).

‘Goranski medun’ is extracted by spinning, it appears in liquid and crystallised forms and has specific organoleptic, physico-chemical and pollen characteristics.

Physico-chemical properties Physico-chemical properties Value Water content Max. 18,00 % Electrical conductivity Min. 0,9 mS/cm Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) Max. 15 mg/kg The physico-chemical properties are established by qualified laboratories that can provide proof of accreditation of their methods for each of the relevant parameters (ISO 17025); the findings are delivered for verification to the Association of Medun Producers.

The values of other physico-chemical parameters, such as the content of fructose and glucose (the sum of both), sucrose, water insoluble substances, free acids and diastase activity, must comply with the criteria laid down in Annex II to Council Directive 2001/110/EC of 20 December 2001 relating to honey and Directive 2014/63/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 amending Council Directive 2001/110/EC relating to honey.

Pollen characteristics Characteristic Description Honeydew indicators Strong presence of honeydew indicators (fungal spores, parts of hyphae, green algae) established in accordance with the rules of melissopalynology. Pollen composition The most common plant species and families characteristic of the defined area (nectariferous and nectarless species) described in chapter 3 of the product specification are established in accordance with the rules of melissopalynology (seasonal variations are possible). Pollen spectrum of the most common nectariferous families and genera: — Strong presence: Apiaceae, Asteraceae — Accompanying presence: Rhamnaceae, Trifolium repens, Ranunculaceae, Asteraceae T, Rosaceae, Acer spp., Fabaceae, Castanea sativa Pollen spectrum of the most common nectarless families and genera: — Poaceae, Plantago spp., Filipendula spp., Quercus spp., Fagus n., Artemisia spp., Salix spp., Helianthemum spp. Pollen analysis is conducted by laboratories that can prove that their staff are qualified to carry out pollen analysis of honey; the findings are delivered for verification to the Association of Medun Producers.





Organoleptic characteristics Organoleptic characteristics Description Visual characteristics (physical condition, colour) Physical condition: crystallised or liquid form, with slightly opalescent tones; crystallised samples have a somewhat lighter hue than samples of crystallised honey. Colour: mostly ranging from dark beige, through dark amber to reddish brown, with possible pearly hues in the structure and a greenish surface reflection in samples of liquid honey. Depending on the season, ‘Goranski medun’ may take on darker hues such as brown to dark brown or near-black, often with oil-like greenish streaks. Olfactory characteristics Fragrance: moderate to pronounced, balsamic, vanilla-like, with notes reminiscent of caramel, resin, dry leaves and charred wood. Gustatory characteristics Taste: characterised by a relatively faint sweetness (compared with that of nectar honeys), with the accompanying moderately intense aroma associative of malt and evocative of the abovementioned olfactory characteristics. Tactile characteristics Tactile characteristics: ranging from liquid to finely crystallised, occasionally in the form of sticky crystals. The organoleptic characteristics are established by a panel of experts, with proof of the qualification of its specially trained sensory analysts in keeping with the training standard of the Honey Tasting Association of Croatia; the findings are delivered for verification to the Association of Medun Producers.

3.3. Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

It is forbidden to feed bee colonies while the bees are pasturing.

3.4. Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area

All steps in the production of ‘Goranski medun’ must take place in the geographical area defined in point 4, as follows:

1. Bee pasture.

2. Bees collect honeydew, add their own specific substances to it, deposit it, extract water from it and store it in honeycomb cells until it matures into honeydew honey.

3. Extraction of ‘Goranski medun’.

4. Filtering, skimming and storing ‘Goranski medun’.

3.5. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

The process of extracting the honey and keeping the honey jars is conducted in a manner that preserves the quality of ‘Goranski medun’ and prevents the presence of any extraneous smells, impurities or potential adulterants that could compromise the quality of the product. For this reason, the filling is carried out in the defined geographical area, where ‘Goranski medun’, which is kept in bulk containers (which may be heated up to 40 °C to prevent crystallisation), is filled in glass jars of 720 ml, 370 ml or 210 ml sealed with a metal cap.

3.6. Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

When placed on the market, ‘Goranski medun’ is labelled in accordance with the applicable regulations. It is permitted to indicate the name of the holding or the location of the apiary alongside the protected designation of origin ‘Goranski medun’, but only if the end product originates from honeydew collected within the perimeter of an apiary situated in a prominent location and within the geographical area defined in point 4.

It is permitted to indicate the unifloral botanical origin of the product, provided that the claim can be ascertained by documentary evidence and analysis. When placing ‘Goranski medun’ on the market in any type of glass jar referred to in point 3.5, the designation of origin ‘Goranski medun’ must stand out more clearly in terms of the size, type and colour of its lettering (typography) than any other inscription or logo or the producer’s seal. The size of the producer’s inscription must not exceed 75 % of the size of the logo of the ‘Goranski medun’ designation of origin. The year of production must be indicated on the label.

All packaging must bear the logo of the ‘Goranski medun’ designation of origin. All users of the designation who place the product on the market in accordance with its specification have the right to use the logo under the same conditions. The logo of the ‘Goranski medun’ designation of origin comprises a circular shape featuring an abstract representation of a fir tree in a dark green colour, on a background of grass in varying tones of green, under a clear pale blue sky punctured by contrasting white mountain shapes. Below the circular shape sits the inscription ‘GORANSKI MEDUN’ in green capital letters, with the word ‘GORANSKI’ printed in a smaller size than the word ‘MEDUN’. The logo of the ‘Goranski medun’ designation of origin may also be reproduced in black and white.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

‘Goranski medun’ is produced in the geographical area of Gorski Kotar, which lies within Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, and in the geographical area of the Ogulin-Plaški Lowlands, which belong to Karlovac County. The area lies within the administrative boundaries of the towns of Čabar, Delnice, Vrbovsko, Novi Vinodolski, Bakar and Ogulin, and the municipalities of Brod Moravice, Fužine, Lokve, Mrkopalj, Ravna Gora, Skrad, Vinodolska općina, Klana, Jelenje, Čavle, Tounj, Josipdol, Plaški and Saborsko.

5. Link with the geographical area

With their diverse geographical characteristics, Gorski Kotar and the Ogulin-Plaški Lowlands have a frontier-like character with overlapping features. The two areas lie on the edge of Mountainous Croatia towards the Adriatic and are highly contiguous over a relatively short distance. Gorski Kotar, which forms part of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, is traditionally defined as a wooded hilly and mountainous area. Although its highest peaks do not reach above an altitude of 1 500 meters, the area has a distinctly alpine character. It comprises vast ranges of forest that are punctuated by smaller stretches of Karstic landscape. In terms of its physiognomy, Gorski Kotar differs considerably from the neighbouring areas (Primorje, Notranjska in Slovenia, and the rest of the Lika Plateau), where mountainous features are less prominent.

The climate in the defined geographical area is characterised by a cool, fresh and rainy spring, moderately warm and humid summer, rainy and foggy autumn and cold winter with abundant snowfall, but also sudden rushes of southerly winds that bring warmer temperatures and rain, followed by the Bora and the northerly wind, which herald moderate to severe cold and snow. The climatic instability, abundant precipitation and low average temperatures create conditions in which the local plant communities thrive.

The specificity of honeydew honey is that it is made from honeydew rather than nectar. Honeydew is a sweet liquid most commonly found, under the right conditions, on both coniferous (fir, spruce) and deciduous trees (oak, beech, maple). It is produced by insects, usually aphids and scale insects, which pierce plant cells with their stylet to access the plant juices, from which they extract nitrogenous substances and secrete the rest – as honeydew.

‘Goranski medun’ is a honey with specific characteristics that primarily depend on the concentration of the main plant stock in Gorski Kotar and the Ogulin-Plaški Lowlands: the fir tree (Abies alba Mill.) and spruce (Picea abies L.) occurring together with stands of beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and maple (Acer spp.). These trees are hosts to aphids and scale insects, which produce the honeydew that is then gathered by bees and turned into honey. The most common cause of honeydew is the green-striped fir aphid, which attaches itself to fir shoots and can be present throughout the summer, when the weather is warm and humid. The spruce is a conifer that typically produces copious amounts of honeydew secreted by a variety of aphids and scale insects. Unlike firs, however, spruces have shallow roots, which may explain why they tend not to produce honeydew during the dry months of July and August. A spruce will produce the most honeydew in May and June, when it plays host to the spruce bud scale and other scale insects, the main sources of honeydew. Among all the conifers, the fir tree is of the greatest importance to beekeeping. The abundance of honeydew produced on fir trees is due to the variety of scale insects and the abovementioned green-striped fir aphid.

Scale insects and aphids have a well-developed mouthpiece that allows them to pierce plant cells, reach the plant transport tissue and suck out the juices. Since the tree juices are under significant capillary pressure, they are absorbed by aphids/scales in excess quantity; surplus juice is passed through an insect’s digestive system and secreted as drops of honeydew that land on the neighbouring branches, needles, leaves and the ground. Although profuse quantities of honeydew on fir trees are relatively rare (every five to seven years), the usual volume of honeydew on a fir tree is definitely much larger than on other plants. As a rule, firs will produce honeydew every year, but the quantity depends largely on the climate and soil conditions. In areas where fir trees predominate, honeydew is produced mainly in July and August, but may continue into September.

Owing to its chemical composition, honeydew honey possesses distinctive qualities that set it apart from floral honeys in many respects. It has a high mineral content and tends to crystallise faster than some other honey varieties. ‘Goranski medun’ is a special category of honeydew honey and one of the most celebrated honeys in Croatia. With its distinctive characteristics, this honey has become one of the most recognisable brands of Gorski Kotar and the Ogulin-Plaški Lowlands and has acquired a special name for itself – ‘medun’.

‘Goranski medun’ is a special category of honey that differs from other honey varieties thanks to its distinctive features (maximum moisture content of 18,00 %, maximum HMF content of 15 mg/kg, minimum electrical conductivity of 0,9 mS/cm). The pollen spectrum of ‘Goranski medun’ comprises honeydew indicators in the honey (fungal spores, parts of hyphae, green algae) and the pollen of the plant species occurring in the area at the time of production. This, along with its characteristic organoleptic and physico-chemical properties, sets it far apart from other honey varieties.

Under no circumstances should ‘Goranski medun’ be subjected to intense heat. It is permitted to decrystallise ‘Goranski medun’ at a temperature no higher than 40 °C, which does not alter the characteristics imparted on it by the honeydew from the plants within the defined area.

‘Goranski medun’ represents an inextricable link between the geographical features of the region where it is produced and the product it characterises. The interrelationship between the plant communities of fir and spruce trees and the concomitant communities of beech and maple, their entomofauna and the production of honeydew honey are directly dependent on the geographical and topographical features of the defined area, which directly influences the characteristics and distinctiveness of ‘Goranski medun’.

‘Goranski medun’ is a honey generally derived from a mix of honeydew sources, an ingredient naturally rich in mineral substances. For the most part, it contains honeydew from spruce and fir trees, which is combined with that from the deciduous beech and maple.

Thanks to the green-striped fir aphid, which is the most common cause of honeydew, honeydew honey may sometimes acquire reddish hues. Honeydew may also come from aphids, in which case it takes on darker hues of brown to dark brown, or near-black, often with oil-like greenish streaks. It should be pointed out that the common sycamore aphid is the most prolific producer of honeydew in maple stands. This holds especially true for the sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus L.), the Norway maple (Acer platanoides L.) and the field maple (Acer campestre L.), which may yield relatively abundant quantities of honeydew and pollen, particularly in late April and in May. The abovementioned typical plant species make for the dominant features of the geographical area defined in point 4. Extensive forest cover and a landscape of green are among the most important general vegetation features of the defined area. The forest cover mainly extends across surrounding and higher-lying areas, which are the most vital to beekeepers’ interests.

The long history of beekeeping in Gorski Kotar is due to the practical know-how and skills of locals who have been pursuing the craft in this area for centuries. Their know-how and skills comprise a unique knowledge of the specific morphology of this mountainous area, a comprehensive knowledge of the local melliferous plants, the predominant climatic conditions, and the corresponding beekeeping technologies used in this unique area. ‘Goranski medun’ is produced using traditional beekeeping techniques that are over one hundred years old. One such technique is the use of beehives with movable hive frames, most commonly the Alberti-Žnidaršič (AŽ) or Langstroth-Root (LR) hives. These two types of beehive are most prevalent in Gorski Kotar, and have proved to produce the best results in practice. The beekeeping techniques, such as beehive placement, and technological processes intended to maximise the yield from bee pasture, protect the bees from pests, prevent swarming, and others, reflect the climate and meteorological conditions in the geographical area of production of ‘Goranski medun’.

Reference to publication of the specification

https://poljoprivreda.gov.hr/UserDocsImages/dokumenti/hrana/proizvodi_u_postupku_zastite-zoi-zozp-zts/Specifikacija_Goranski-Medun_izmjena11082021.pdf

(1) OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.