HONEY PROBLEMS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXI, 19 June 1937, Page 11

HONEY PROBLEMS

NEW LINES OF INVESTIGATION ADDRESS BY MR It. H. K. THOMSON, M.Se. TO BEEKEEPERS’ CONFERENCE In the course of an address to the annual conference of the National Beekeepers’ Association, in Wellington to-day, Mr it. H. K. Thomson, M.Sc., of the Cawthron Institute, referred to the re suits which Rad been obtained in the hon-: ey investigations described at last year's' Conference. The more important features of these investigations were connected with the Chemical examination of a considerable number of N.Z. honeys of dif-ferent-.-floral Sources.- Th 6 results of the analyses showed that the floral source of the honey resulted in marked differences in its chemical composition. Another important feature of the previous work Was the establishment of a laboratory process ft r the purification of. low-grade honeys affected by undesirable flavours or bad colour.

During the present year further work had keen done on the composition of New Zealand honeys, and on the details of the laboratory process for the purification of honey. So fat. the efforts of the Institute tj secure funds for a semi-commercial trial of the laboratory process had hot been sllccessful. and on this account any further advance iii connection with honey purification had rot been possible. However, negotiations were being continued with the of Scientific and Industrial Research, and it was hoped through their co-opera tiou to arrange a trial of the laboratory process under semiccmmercial Conditions. During the past year, three new lines of investigation had neon taken up. These consisted of (1) & study of New Zealand pollens with a view to tlie identification of honey of doubtful origin. (2) A study of colour grading of honey, and testing of the Tintometer us a possible improvement in the standard aparatus for colour grading. (3) A study oi granulation in New Zealand honey with a view to determining the factors respoil, si hie for “frosting” or “dry granulation, ’ which on occasions was so troublesome to honey packers.

NEW ZEALAND POLLENS A Collection lias been made of tliq.se pollens likely to be presciit in New Zealand honey, particularly the pollens of native plants. The pollens had been mounted in sterilised lioiley, and their appearance in this medium, when examined through a microscope, had been recorded. Pollens present in honey were identified by reference Id this cUliectioh. When honeys were available derived whdlly or partly from native plants tlie number of pollen grains present in one gramme of tlie honey had been determined, aiid also the frequency ,of occurrence of tlie principal types of pollen in that honey. The Variations fotliid, hdtli iii the total pollen Count and 111 tlie frequency of occurrence, Were lal'go, sohie honeys containing nearly ten times many pollen grains as oLhers. These couiits Would be continued as opportunity and suitable honey Samples ottered. It Was hoped that this Would eventually enable New Zealand honey to be identified as such, whatever label it might bear. COLOUR GRADING OF TIONEY

A thorough test was made of the instrument at present in use for colour grad, iiig honey (the Pfund grader) and of ilia Tintometer.

The Pfund instrument compared the colour of honey With a Standard amber colour of variable intensity but fixed tint. In many cases tiie tint of the honey wuq quite different from that oi' the standard amber colour, and this was in sdllle degrees Unsatisfactory. Willi the Tihttmiiiler, which measured both the tmt and the depth of Colour, tilts difficulty did not occur, if tile Tintometer were used for grading it Would he possible to assign grading marks for the tint of the honey as well as for the depth of colour. This would probably IneiHl awarding more guiding marks to a yellow honey than to a redder lioiley. A full report of this test had been forwarded to tlie Advisory Research Committee of the National Bfeekoepers’ Association.

THE GRANULATION OF HONEY

This WOrk, which ivas not yet completed, consisted in the measurements of

tlie voluble changes lit the honey,'” of the changes'in the size of the dextrose crystals, and of the variations in the viscosity of honey, which take place during granulation. These experiments were concerned mainly with the normal gjanuIntioli of honey, for it was felt that ail Understanding of the processes involved lii normal granulation was necessary before the investigation of the problems of abnormal granulation ("dry granulation ’ or ' frosting’’) coiild be systematically undertaken. In addition to these experiments “dry granulation” lias been induced to form in samples of honey ill the laboratory, in order that its manner of “growth" might be observed. “Dry granulated” honey had been photographed and a photomicrograph of a typical “dry granulated” area Was shown to the atidiCnce.

Tiie speaker said lie wished to make it clear to the Conference that while the re. suits Obtained froih these experiments threw considerable light oil the subject of ‘‘frosting” in honey, it would be necessary for a lot more research work to be done before any deiinite pronouncement Could be made regarding the exact conditions of its formation.

At the conclusion of hik address, Mi' Thomson thanked those beekeepers who had helped during the year with advice* encouragement and gifts of honey.