 | What is UMF?Online Catalogue | Manuka Honey | What is UMF? Breaking News: UMF Property has been identified! The secret to manuka honey has been discovered!
Professor Thomas Henle and his team at the Technical University of Dresden have found the active compound in manuka honey – methylgloxal.
Methylgloxal is responsible for the reliable anti-bacterial activity only found in some Manuka Honey. Methylgloxal occurs in all honeys however the concentration is usually in the range of 0 to 10 mg/kg. In contrast, methylgloxal is found in manuka honey from as low as 100 mg/kg and as high as 1000 mg/kg.
The higher the methylgloxal, the stronger the anti-bacterial activity however from methylgloxal 350 mg/kg and higher the honey has the strength to kill a very large number of harmful bacteria.
The best results on record for methylgloxal (mg/kg) in other foods is:
- Yoghurt less than 2
- Cheese 4 – 11
- Wine less than 2
- Coffee 23-47
- Other honeys 0-10
Methylgloxal is a natural product that is formed when glucose is made available to a living cell whether it be in the human body, animal or plant. During this process Methylgloxal is produced and then utilized to allow every living cell to be healthy.
The Manuka Bush makes available in its honey large quantities of methylgloxal to help with our health. Its applications are widespread:
- Helicobacter pylori infection in the stomach
- Stomach pain
- Reflux/heartburn
- Diarrhea/constipation
- Candida albicans
- Wound infections and wound healing
- Skin infections and healing
Click here for a link to the New Zealand Herald website and other articles about Manuka Honey
Manuka Health, a supplier of New Zealand Manuka Honey, is currently labeling the methylgloxal content of their Manuka Honey. We expect other suppliers to follow this trend in the future.
The methylgloxal rating (listed on the label as MGO®) of Manuka Honey is now shown on some labels instead of the UMF rating.
The MGO® rating of Manuka Honey is a measurement of the amount of methylgloxal in the Manuka Honey (in mg/kg). A MGO®550 rating corresponds to UMF25, MGO®400 corresponds to UMF20, and MGO®100 to UMF10.
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| DefinitionUMF is an abbreviation which stands for Unique Manuka Factor.
UMF is a phytochemically derived antibacterial property (i.e.. it is derived from the nectar of the flower) found in some types of Manuka Honey.
Only honey collected from certain Leptospermum plants contain the special UMF property.
The UMF activity exists in addition to the hydrogen peroxide antibacterial activity found in all honeys (this activity is due to an enzyme which is added to the nectar by the honeybee) . These two antibacterial activities work synergistically - enhancing their effects.
| UMF RatingImmediately after the letters UMF on a package of Manuka honey will be a number. This number starts at 10 and increases up to 20.
The UMF number is a standard way of describing the bacteria-killing power of the product. The honey is put in a plate with a bacterial culture, and the area is measured where the bacterial growth is stopped. this area is compared to a similar area produced by a solution of phenol and water. the number refers to the percentage of phenol in the water. So UMF 10 is honey that has the same bacteria-killing power as 10% phenol.
In the same way that sunscreen provides higher levels of protection when the SPF value increases, a higher UMF rating indicates a stronger antibacterial strength of the Manuka Honey.
| What Makes it Special?Kills Bad Bacteria
In laboratory studies the UMF property has been found to be effective against a wide range of bacteria including the very resistant helicobacter pylori (this bacteria causes most stomach ulcers), the wound-infecting bacteria staphylococcus aureus and escherichia coli, streptococcus pyogenes (causes sore throats).
Provides Relief...Naturally
Studies are showing UMF Manuka Honey with high levels of UMF could be very effective in helping relieve stomach ulcer symptoms and gastritis, and when applied topically, in assisting the natural healing of skin ulcers, wounds, burns, boils, cracked skin, MRSA.
Studies are also showing the UMF property helps make UMF Manuka Honey excellent for relieving sore throats and oral hygiene.
Is Very Stable
The UMF property is very stable, unlike the hydrogen peroxide antibacterial property common to most honey which is easily destroyed by heat, light as well as certain enzymes in body serum. UMF honeys are particularly stable and are resistant to destruction by these factors.
| Why is UMF only Present in Some Manuka Honey?Bees gather Manuka honey from the nectar of the flowers of the Manuka bush (Leptospermum scoparium) which is a native plant of New Zealand, and the tea tree (Leptospermum polygalifolium) which is native to Australia. Manuka and Tea Tree grows wild on undeveloped, unspoilt and regenerating land, and is commonly found throughout the country.
Manuka honey with the UMF property is gathered from the Leptospermum flowers - UMF is not in the nectar of all Leptospermum flowers. It is also evident that some areas of Manuka and teat tree does not produce honey with the UMF property every year, and the concentrations of UMF can vary from batch to batch and year to year.
For this reason every batch of Manuka Honey is tested to see if it contains the special UMF property prior to packaging and labelling.
Only honey that contains the UMF property is permitted to carry the UMF trademark on its label - it is your guarantee of superior antibacterial activity.
The reason why only some Manuka honey has the unique UMF antibacterial property is not yet known. It could be from a subspecies of Manuka or due to some environmental factor such as soil type. The researchers are currently looking into this question.
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