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Media release, By Iona Boase, 10 September 4 |
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Predicting the Unique Manuka Factor in honey A new research programme underway at Crop & Food Research aims to identify what gives some manuka honey excellent antibacterial action. This three-year $230,000 programme is in collaboration with Horouta Manuka Company, a Tairawhiti-based company. It is funded by the government�s Foundation for Research Science and Technology. Research will identify what gives some manuka honey a Unique Manuka Factor (UMF) of 20 or more. UMF is the rating used to indicate the level of antibacterial property in active manuka honey. Honey with a UMF higher than 20 has an excellent antibacterial action. Meto Leach, the research programme leader, said manuka honey with high UMF makes up a relatively small proportion of total manuka yield, so it would useful to know how the high UMF comes about and how to predict it occurring. Dr Leach says, �Beekeepers will give a variety of answers to the question; what do you need to get high UMF honey? Their answers include; the soil type, the percentage of manuka to kanuka, moisture, and the type of manuka.� �Crop & Food Research aims to answer this question by using automated high precision weather stations to monitor climatic and environmental conditions, and manuka resource related factors that influence the value of UMF in manuka honey,� he says. The research aims to develop a technique to measure the potential of hive sites to produce honey with a high UMF. It also aims to predict UMF values before honey is collected and to determine the best time in the honey season to place and remove hives from a given site. Training for Horouta Manuka Company members interested in beekeeping will also be provided. This Foundation-funded research programme complements an existing research partnership between Horouta Manuka Company and Crop & Food Research. In a project part-funded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry�s Sustainable Farming Fund, Dr Leach will lead an investigation of manuka cultivar breeding to optimise flowering, honey quality and yield. This project brings together a number of Maori landowners who want to improve returns from their land. For more information contact: For more information contact Dr Meto Leach, Scientist Crop & Food Research Private Bag 11 600 PALMERSTON NORTH New Zealand Tel 06 356 8300 Fax 06 351 7050 Email: Meto Leach |
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