The plant that gives rise to the famous New Zealand Manuka honey is Leptospermum scoparium. Australia hosts more than 80 Leptospermum species, including Leptospermum scoparium.

Not all the species of Leptospermum give rise to Manuka honey. Some of the Leptospermum species’ nectar contains a compound called dihydroxyacetone (DHA). When the honey generated from the nectars of these Leptospermum species matures, dihydroxyacetone (DHA) converts into methylglyoxal (MGO). It is this naturally occurring compound methylglyoxal (MGO) that contributes to the special qualities of Manuka honey.

There are 3 unique chemical markers for authentic Manuka honey, they are Dihydroxyacetone, Methylglyoxal and Leptosperin. Scientists have tested Australian Manuka honey and have found all three of them in abundance.

Our Manuka honey is of Australian origin and its therapeutic strength has been tested and graded independently by government laboratories.

Western Australia has the strictest biosecurity policy in Australia, it is home to 8 of Australia’s 15 distinctive geographical biodiversity hotspots and has unique endemic flora. Both mono-floral honey and multifloral honey are produced by honeybees foraging on either a predominantly single floral source or on multiple nectar sources, resulting in a rich variety of honeys each with unique viscosity, flavour, and bioactivity.

Jarrah honey from Eucalyptus marginata, Marri honey from Corymbia calophylla, Red Bell honey from Calothamnus spp. are just some of the many types of honey well known for their medicinal properties, such as exceptionally high antimicrobial and antioxidant activities.

Honey is not just sugar. There are more than 200 compounds present in honey. Besides sugars such as fructose, glucose, sucrose, and maltose, there are enzymes, phenolic acids, flavonoids, minerals, amino acids, proteins, and vitamins such as vitamin C. The constituents of the nectar of a plant not only relates to its species, but also relates to the biogeographical environment. Honey is not just nectar, but also a rich blend of insect enzymes from bees’ secretions. The magic healing power of Manuka, Jarrah, Marri, and Red bell honey is a result of the powerful interplay of these natural processes. We are still at the early stages of understanding their benefits, and must wait for research to reveal more in the future.

• Antimicrobial activity. Therapeutic honey is very effective in reducing the presence of bacteria, fungi, and virus pathogens. Highly bioactive honey can be applied on a range of wounds including cuts, abrasions, burns and ulcerated sores to fight against bacterial infection.
• Anti inflammation activity. The Anti inflammation activity of bioactive honey helps damaged cells to heal faster. Bioactive honey is perfect for soothing sore throats, and is very effective in assisting the immune system to fight against colds, flu and strep throat.
• Antioxidation activity. Free radicals can increase the risk of inflammation and various health issues. They are linked to heart disease, cancer, arthritis, stroke, respiratory diseases, immune deficiency, emphysema, Parkinson’s disease, and other inflammatory or ischemic conditions. The high level of antioxidants found in bioactive honey is said to help neutralize free radicals in our bodies, and this is thought to boost our overall health.
• Prebiotic activity. Research has found that honey is very beneficial for establishing a healthy microbiome in our gut. New research shows a few types of honey, especially some types of bioactive honey, not only reduce the presence of infection-inducing bacteria in the gut, but also encourage the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut.

Manuka’s UMF 

A low level of hydrogen peroxide occurs naturally in almost all types of honey. Hydrogen peroxide has antibacterial effects. In the early stages of research on Manuka honey, after neutralising the presence of hydrogen peroxide in Manuka honey, researchers found that Manuka honey still possessed a very high antibacterial function. A method developed to measure the strength of this function is called Non Peroxide Activity (NPA). This Non Peroxide Activity was also called Unique Manuka Factor (UMF) by Professor Peter Molan from Waikato University, New Zealand who pioneered the research on Manuka honey.

The Unique Manuka Factor (UMF) grading system was soon registered for New Zealand Manuka honey alone.

Manuka’s MGO

Later scientific research found the exact chemical responsible for Manuka’s antibacterial property, that is Methylglyoxal (MGO). The higher the methylglyoxal, the higher the potency of Manuka’s antibacterial function.

The Australian Manuka Industry uses the MGO grading system to measure the medicinal strength of Manuka honey. 

TA

Honey’s Total Activity is a measure of its antimicrobial strength. The higher, the stronger.

Total Activity comes from two different antimicrobial sources in honey, that is Peroxide Activity and Non Peroxide Activity.

TA = PA + NPA

PA

Peroxide activity comes from the chemical reaction of a bee enzyme called glucose oxidase. When the collected nectar is going through maturation in the bee hives, this enzyme will react with the free water and sugar in the honey and release hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide kills microbes, therefore the honey is protected.

After the honey is matured and dehydrated, the enzyme usually disappears. But honey such as Jarrah, Marri, and Red Bell still contains residues of this bee enzyme, therefore they have much higher peroxide activity (PA).

NPA (UMF)

Manuka honey’s antimicrobial activity mostly comes from the naturally occurring plant-based compound Methylglyoxal (MGO), therefore it is called Non Peroxide Activity (NPA or UMF).

TA vs UMF vs MGO

• Only Manuka honey uses NPA, UMF, MGO to measure its antimicrobial activity.
• New Zealand Manuka uses UMF, which is equivalent to NPA, to measure its antimicrobial activity.
• Australian Manuka uses MGO and NPA to measure its antimicrobial activity.
• All other bioactive honeys use TA to measure their antimicrobial activity.

The comparison of TA and UMF is not linear. The following table is a reference only.