SBS gets modern equipment to test local honey |27 April 2022

PS Keven Nancy (third right) hands over part of the equipment to SBS chief executive Andy Ally in the presence of beekeepers and staff of the agriculture department (Photo: Louis Toussaint)

From now on locally produced honey would be tested to determine its quality, potential for export and compliance with the Codex International Standard for honey used for international trade.

This would be possible now that the Seychelles Bureau of Standards (SBS) has received a batch of ‘honey quality testing’ laboratory equipment.

Principal secretary for agriculture Keven Nancy formally handed over the equipment to SBS chief executive Andy Ally in a short ceremony at the Standard House, Providence last Friday morning.

After three of its laboratory staff followed a two-week training on honey testing as well as beekeeping at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (INCIPE) headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, the SBS made a request, in October last year, for the equipment through the national focal point of the INCIPE which is based at the Ministry of Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment.

In view of the fact that the Ministry of Investment, Entrepreneurship and Industry has identified locally produced honey as a possible niche product that has potential for export, having the equipment will therefore assist to determine its quality and compliance to international standards.

The equipment comprise: Jenway 6850 Spectrophotometer; Jenway Benchtop pH meter Model 3520; Clifton NE2D Bath 22L, unstirred without lid; Stainless steel concentric lid; Stuart Analoque CB302 Hotplate Stirrer with 30x30 cm Glass Ceramic plate; and PX124E/Analytical balance 100g.

PS Nancy stressed that one of the key areas of the INCIPE project is to expand the economic viability of farm produce. He stated that honey production is an area that can help expand this economic viability as honey produced in Seychelles is deemed of high quality and valuable.

Through the project the department of agriculture wishes to promote the production of local honey and market it.

He said the objective is to export Seychelles’ honey and to meet the international standards, proper tests need to be conducted.

“To test we need a laboratory and quality equipment in place to ensure that the quality of the product for consumption whether locally or internationally is maintained,” PS Nancy said.

As for SBS chief executive Ally, he said this is the first time Seychelles will be able to test its honey especially on a large scale. The SBS will also get the chance to test imported honey and compare it with the local honey and possibly later set parameters for importation of honey which will benefit the community.

Under the INCIPE project, three technicians from the biochemical testing services division within the SBS ‒ Cliff Barra, Doreen Hardy and Chantal Camille ‒ took part in a honey bees and honey quality control training in Nairobi. Mr Barra gave a brief background on their training.

Meanwhile, preliminary research conducted on three samples of local honey collected on Mahe, Praslin and La Digue and tested in Kenya, has shown that comparatively to the best-selling honey worldwide, the Seychelles honey might be higher in quality and possibly have four times more medicinal properties.

Chairman of the Beekeepers Association, Arthur Toule-Thilatier expressed his joy that Seychelles has received such equipment to test local honey as well as be able to test the types of imported honey. He added that some international companies are bypassing the standards when it comes to the percentage of pure honey in their products, for instance 25% honey and 75% sugar.

Mr Toule-Thilatier is encouraging beekeepers to register themselves as it is important to know the honey situation in the country and its parameters. This will enable the researchers to locate where the best honey is, the type or seasonal profile. He added that having endemic plants could also be a factor in having high quality honey which can also be tested using the equipment as well as ensure no copyright infringement as each honey has a definitive organic core signature that can be identified.

He stated that “there are three enzymes that are basically considered as the parameters that define the quality of honey, according to the associations of beekeepers worldwide.”

This means that locally the technicians will be able to test for the enzymes and this will indicate the freshness, the maturity of the honey and will significantly also indicate if the honey has been tempered with (example adding sugar or heat to change the constituents of the honey).

In terms of having a more organic honey, testing how much pesticides was used and the type will determine this key factor for Seychelles.

The SBS for its part has launched an appeal to beekeepers to get their honey tested in season and out of season to enable researchers to get a general idea of the quality of honey in Seychelles at different date and time intervals of the year, areas, topography, and distance to farms.

Marla Simeon