TITLE:
Physico-Chemical and Labeling Control of Imported Honeys in Burkina Faso
AUTHORS:
Schweitzer Paul, Nombré Issa, Aidoo Kwamé, Boussim I. Joseph
KEYWORDS:
Honey Analysis; Food Labeling; Consumption Deadline; Burkina Faso
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.4 No.12,
December
9,
2013
ABSTRACT: Burkina Faso
is situated in the centre of Western Africa with a high illiteracy rate,
despite efforts of the governments to improve education. This is not without
consequences on the choice of foodstuffs bought and consumed by the people and
the consequent effect on their health. Honey is one of the foodstuffs consumed
by people. However local production falls short of demand, and so most
supermarkets in Burkina Faso sell imported honey. Do these imported honeys
conform to the international standards regarding labeling of foodstuffs, and
specifically do they possess physicochemical characteristics that conform to
international norms of Codex Alimentarus and European honey Commission? The
study investigated certain characteristics established by standards of the
European Commission and Codex Alimentarius. The labels on packaged honey were
analyzed according to the standard of Journal Officiel. Results show that the
physic-chemical plan, the hydroxyl-methyl-furfural (HMF) content were high
whereas the diastase index was low indicating lack of freshness of imported
honeys. For the stability, honey samples conformed to the standard of the
European Commission and Codex Alimentarius. Only two honey samples fulfill the
Codex Alimentarius and the European commission norms. Storage temperatures
degrade honey considerably and it suggested that under tropical conditions the
deadline for optimal use (DLUO) of honeys is reduced to one year.