Editing Honey (section)

=== Adulteration ===
Honey is sometimes [[Adulterant|adulterated]] by the addition of other sugars, syrups, or compounds to change its flavor or viscosity, reduce cost, or increase the fructose content to inhibit [[crystallization]]. Honey has been adulterated since ancient times, when honey was sometimes blended with plant syrups such as [[Maple syrup|maple]], [[Birch syrup|birch]], or [[Sorghum syrup|sorghum]] and sold to customers as pure honey. Sometimes crystallized honey was mixed with flour or other fillers, hiding the adulteration from buyers until the honey was liquefied. In modern times, the most common adulterant became clear, almost-flavorless corn syrup; the adulterated mixture can be very difficult to distinguish from pure honey.<ref>''The Hive: The Story of the Honeybee and Us'' By Bee Wilson --St. Martins Press 2004 Page 167</ref>

According to the [[Codex Alimentarius]] of the United Nations, any product labeled as "honey" or "pure honey" must be a wholly natural product, although labeling laws differ between countries.<ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1007/978-1-4613-1119-5_8 |title=Food Authentication |pages=259–303 |year=1996 |last1=Molan |first1=P. C. |isbn=978-1-4612-8426-0 |chapter=Authenticity of honey}}</ref> In the United States, according to the National Honey Board, "Ensuring honey authenticity is one of the great challenges facing the honey industry today. Over the past half century, a number of honey testing methods have been developed to detect food fraud. To date, there is no single universal analytical method available which is capable of detecting all types of adulteration with adequate sensitivity."<ref name="nhb">{{cite web |title=FAQS on honey testing methods for detecting adulteration with sugar syrups |website=National Honey Board |url=https://honey.com/images/files/NHB-Honey-Testing-FAQs.pdf |date=2023 |access-date=13 July 2023 |archive-date=11 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240711234128/https://honey.com/images/files/NHB-Honey-Testing-FAQs.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Isotope ratio mass spectrometry]] can be used to detect addition of [[corn syrup]] and [[cane sugar]] by the carbon [[isotopic signature]]. Addition of sugars originating from corn or sugar cane ([[C4 carbon fixation|C4 plants]], unlike the plants used by bees, and also [[sugar beet]], which are predominantly [[C3 carbon fixation|C3 plants]]) skews the isotopic ratio of sugars present in honey,<ref name=nhb /> but does not influence the isotopic ratio of proteins. In an unadulterated honey, the carbon isotopic ratios of sugars and proteins should match. Levels as low as 7% of addition can be detected.<ref name=nhb />