Claire Webster: From Nectar to Glass: Quantification of Methyl Glyoxal in NZ Mānuka Honey and Mead
Mānuka honey is NZ’s most globally sought-after honey variety, due to the bioactive effects conferred by methyl glyoxal (MGO), which is formed via conversion of dihydroxy acetone found in Mānuka nectar. Several New Zealand meaderies are already producing Mānuka mead, it being a unique NZ product with significant marketing potential. Mānuka mead, however, has not previously been explored in the scientific literature. MGO has been analysed in honey and other matrices such as wine and blood plasma, however has never been quantified in meads. To this end, a versatile HPLC method for the quantification of MGO in both Mānuka mead and honey has been developed, optimised and validated. The method was then applied to a survey of commercial Manuka meads.