Discovery of the Unique Activity of Manuka Honey

Unique anti-microbial properties of Manuka honey were discovered in the 1990s by Professor Peter Molan from the University of Waikato's Honey Research Unit.

Professor Peter Molan

Even ordinary honey has a level of anti-bacterial activity due to the presence of hydrogen peroxide. This disappears very quickly when the honey is subjected to heat, light or enzymes in body fluids.

Professor Peter Molan discovered non-peroxide anti-bacterial activity in some Manuka honey samples. This non-peroxide activity in Manuka honey was found to be stable even under gamma radiation treatment.

The cause of Manuka honey's special properties was not known at that time but was referred to as the "Unique Manuka Factor". This subsequently became a term used in the marketing of anti-bacterial Manuka honey from New Zealand.

Testing regime

Professor Molan developed a test to measure non-peroxide anti-bacterial activity by comparing the honey's anti-bacterial strength to the common disinfectant, phenol.

This became the basis of certifying manuka honey. For example, UMF 10 manuka honey has the same anti-bacterial strength as a 10% solution of phenol.

The UMF trademark is owned by the Active Manuka Honey Association (AMHA), a group of New Zealand manuka honey producers which licences members to use the trademark to market their products, provided products are tested and have a minimum level of UMF 10.

Manuka Honey Marketing Issues

Market growth of genuine manuka honey products has been slow due to consumers finding it difficult to believe any honey has medical properties.

Honey producers use other general descriptions to describe anti-bacterial properties in manuka honey, with "Active" being most popular, often using a similar labelled scheme to UMF (for example, "Active 5+", "BioActive 10+" etc.). There is more Active than UMF manuka honey sold.

However, there are no testing or other disciplines in place covering the labelling of such products. Despite this, health benefits are often either claimed or inferred.