Melissa opalynology

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The Melissopalynologie as a branch of palynology is the study of pollen , from honey come. In a broader sense, it also includes the investigation of the origin of this pollen.

By analyzing the pollen in a honey sample, it is possible to narrow down or determine the geographical area of ​​origin and the plants that have been visited by the bees . The pollen analysis is carried out by microscopy of the sediment of the solids obtained by centrifugation , which is located in an aqueous honey solution. After adequate preparation of the sediment, a 160x magnification is often sufficient for an initial overview. However, detailed statements require up to 450x magnification. A standard work on pollen analysis was published in 1935 by Enoch Zander , at the time director of the Bavarian State Institute for Beekeeping in Erlangen .

This information is required to prove a certain origin of a certain honey. Honey from a predominant plant species has a different taste and is therefore often more valuable than "thousand flower honey", which is collected from nectar from different plant species. The region of origin also influences the sales price . Imported honeys from low-wage countries are cheaper than local honeys.

Melissa opalynology is used to track down illegal relabelling or incorrect indications of origin (in order to be able to sell cheap honey at a higher price).

Since 2004, melissa palynology can no longer be used to determine the origin of all honeys, since a so-called "filtered honey" may also be offered for sale, see Honey Ordinance . These are almost exclusively imports from large marketers who want to prevent early crystallization of honey offered in liquid form (“honey in the ketchup bottle”) by filtering.

literature

  • Enoch Zander: Contributions to determining the origin of honey. Volume I: Pollen design and determination of origin for blossom honey with special consideration of the German traditional area. Publishing house of the Reichsfachgruppe Imker eV, Berlin 1935.

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