Bee Limitless

BIO-ACTIVE / UMF HONEY

All raw honeys present anti-bacterial properties due to the presence of glucose oxidase, a naturally occurring enzyme that sterilizes bacteria on contact with honey through the production of hydrogen peroxide.  Some honeys have been identified to contain additional, naturally occurring properties that contribute to unusually potent antibacterial effects.

These phenomena were initially observed in the Manuka honeys from New Zealand, which naturally contain enzymes and amino acids that result in extraordinarily strong antibacterial activity.   These incredible honeys have an equivalent concentration of bioactivity and antiseptic properties as phenol (hydroxybenzene), a commonly used medical antiseptic agent.  In New Zealand and elsewhere, these honeys are prescribed to treat and heal wounds, and are often recommended to fight bacterial infections in the digestive tract and commonly for sore throats.

Research conducted at  The University of Waikato in New Zealand, the center for much of the cutting edge scientific research into the health benefits of honey and other bee products, have broadened the inquiry and have identified a number of honeys with these properties, and are isolating the nutrients and benefits.  These enzymes show a resilience to body temperature that is not present with glucose oxidase alone, resulting in antibacterial protection through a longer part of the digestion process.

These researchers, and others in the field, have developed a scale for measuring the potency of the antibacterial properties of honeys.  This is done, essentially, by measuring the time and extent of the sterilization of environmental bacterials by the honeys.  These certified biological wonders have been shown to be incredibly effective at destroying bacteria such as staph aureus, streptococcus and helicobacter pylori.

The main bioactivity measurement and certification standards are UMF  (the "unique manuka factor") and  the Bio-Active Healing Power Measurement.    These honeys are rated on scales from 5-30, with a rating above 10 signifying extraordinary enzymatic bioactivity and associated anti-bacterial potency.  Honeys with ratings above 20 are very rare, and are not recommended for most therapeutic applications.

The potency of the non-peroxide antibacterial activity in bioactive manuka honey is measured by an assay developed by the Honey Research Unit at the University of Waikato.  The killing power of samples of honey tested against the common wound-infecting bacteria, staphylococcus aureus.  The potency of the honey's antibacterial effect is compared with that of solutions of a standard antiseptic, phenol (hydroxybenzene) at various concentrations.  This is done with the enzyme catalase added to the samples of honey so that all hydrogen peroxide present in the raw honey is destroyed and thus only the non-peroxide antibacterial activity of manuka honey is measured.  The non-peroxide antibacterial activity of manuka honey is then rated as the equivalent concentration of phenol with the same level of antibacterial activity. (For example, an Active Manuka Honey rated as 10 for its non-peroxide antibacterial activity will kill Staph. aureus as effectively as will a 10% phenol solution.)

In the past few years, Professor Thomas Henle, Head of the Institute of Food Chemistry at the Technical University of Dresden, identified Methylglyoxal as one of the key active compound in Manuka honey, and has proposed an additional rating scale for Methylglyoxal levels of Manuka honeys.  Research continues into the concentration levels of methylglyoxal in manuka honey, the indications are that it has the potential to be effective against certain antibiotic-resistant types of bacteria, gastro-intestinal problems and skin disorders, and also capable of speeding up the healing process in ulcers and wounds.