Anton Paar has detailed the use of its MCP 200/300/500 automatic polarimeter in the specific rotation of honey.
Honey quality standards are specified in a European Honey Directive and in the Codex Alimentarius Standard 12-1981 for Honey. The International Honey Commission (IHC) has harmonised the honey analysis methods and suitable methods have been selected for the determination of honey quality.
The specific rotation of honey is used in some countries, e.g. Italy, Greece, UK, to distinguish between blossom and honeydew honeys. It has also some classification power for different unifloral blossom honeys.
The total specific rotation of honey depends on the carbohydrate composition and can be applied to all honey samples. In particular, most honeydew honeys have positive specific rotations, while nectar honeys show negative rotations. Before the
polarimetric determination, Carrez solutions are used to precipitate proteins and particles which would otherwise influence the measurement.
The combination of quality, robust design and modern data management is designed to make MCP 200/300/500 one of the most powerful polarimeters on the market. The instrument allows customer-specific configurations and provides the widest range of options for the future. MCP 200/300/500 meets all application requirements for the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, chemical and medical industries as well as for R&D.
