CODEX Honey Tests
Provide clear evidence that your honey meets international food standards, opening opportunities for export and expansion into global markets.
Honey, as defined by CODEX standards, is the pure, natural sweet substance created by honeybees from plant nectar or other natural secretions.
What is CODEX Testing Used For?
Y-Trace CODEX testing confirms your honey meets rigorous international quality and safety benchmarks, ensuring it remains entirely natural, free from additives, pesticides, veterinary drugs, and heavy metals - making it ideal for premium markets worldwide.
What CODEX Proves
These tests confirm that your honey has:
- Ideal moisture levels, ensuring good shelf-life and preventing fermentation.
- Proper sugar content, verifying the natural sweetness and authenticity of your honey.
- Enzyme activity (diastase), showing your honey has not been overheated or improperly processed.
- Optimal acidity, confirming freshness and stability.
- Low HMF levels, proving your honey is fresh and hasn't been aged or overheated.
- Electrical conductivity, helping confirm the botanical and geographical origin.
What We Test For (CODEX Honey Tests):
Our CODEX testing assesses your honey against essential international quality criteria, providing results that verify its purity, freshness, and authenticity.
Essential Composition and Quality Factors:
Moisture Content
Ensures optimal freshness, prevents spoilage or fermentation, and supports a stable shelf-life. Requirement: Maximum 20%.
Sugars (Fructose & Glucose)
Confirms natural sweetness and authentic honey composition. Requirement: Minimum 60 g/100g.
Sugars (Sucrose)
Verifies low sucrose levels to prevent adulteration, ensuring honey authenticity. Requirement: Generally ≤5 g/100g (exceptions apply, ranging up to ≤15 g/100g depending on floral source).
Water Insoluble Solids Content
Validates minimal processing and purity, highlighting the honey’s natural state. Requirement: Maximum 0.1 g/100g.
Additional Composition & Quality Factors:
Free Acidity
Indicates honey freshness, quality, and proper storage conditions. Requirement: Maximum 50 milliequivalents acid per 1000g
Diastase Activity
Demonstrates freshness, proper handling, and natural enzymatic content. Requirement: Minimum 8 Schade units (minimum 3 units acceptable for honeys naturally lower in enzymes).
Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF)
Confirms low heat exposure, freshness, and appropriate storage. Requirement: Maximum 40 mg/kg (up to 80 mg/kg for honeys from tropical climates).
Electrical Conductivity
Helps determine botanical and geographical authenticity. Requirement: Maximum 0.8 mS/cm (specific exceptions apply for certain botanical sources such as Eucalyptus and Manuka).