Manuka honey is a monofloral honey produced in New Zealand and parts of Australia from the nectar of Leptospermum scoparium & Leptospermum polyglaifolium. To be labelled manuka honey, honey should have a manuka pollen count of at least seventy percent.[1] Manuka honey is typically dark in colour with a strong flavour.[2]
Only ten percent of all manuka honey is claimed to have antibacterial properties because of its non-hydrogen peroxide antibacterial content. This honey is known as NPA (Non-Peroxide Activity) manuka honey. According to German researcher Professor Thomas Henle, MGO, or methylglyoxal, found in high concentrations in manuka honey, is the antiseptic compound mostly responsible for NPA.
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Manuka honey is gathered from bees feeding on manuka, which grows uncultivated throughout New Zealand. The honey has antibacterial properties, but its antimicrobial activity varies with origin and processing.[3]
The antibacterial properties of manuka honey are commonly quantified using the "Unique Manuka Factor" (UMF).[4] The UMF of a particular batch of manuka honey is determined through an agar-well diffusion assay is conducted on the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus.[5] Firstly, two wells are created in an agar plate, and S. aureus cells are scraped onto each well using an inoculating needle. After soaking small squares of blotter paper with methylglyoxal and phenol solution separately, each square is set in different ends of the agar plate using forceps and then left upside down in the refrigerator for a few days. After that, a comparison between the size and shape of the bacterial colonies is made to determine the antibacterial activities between the two. Varying concentrations of phenol solution are used to find one that coincides with the antibacterial potency of the honey being tested.