• UMF means Unique Manuka Factor.
• UMF is the name of a very beneficial antibacterial activity found in some strains of manuka honey.
• UMF is not in all manuka honey, not even in all honey called active manuka honey.
• UMF is a guarantee and measure of the antibacterial potency of honey.
• UMF Manuka Honey (UMF10 is minimum level) has enhanced antibacterial potency giving it special healing qualities.
• UMF Manuka Honey with high UMF activity (over UMF10) is the preferred honey when selecting honey for special therapeutic uses.
• UMF is a registered name, trademark, and standard indicating antibacterial quality
• The UMF standard is the only standard worldwide identifying and measuring the antibacterial strength of honey.
Checklist to Identify Genuine UMF Manuka Honey. It must comply with all five of the following criteria:
* 1. It has the trademark UMF clearly stated on the front label.
* 2. It is packed into jars and labelled in New Zealand.
* 3. It is from a New Zealand company licensed to use the trademark UMF.
* 4. It has the UMF Licensee's brand name and licence number on the front label.
* 5. It has a UMF rating as a number on the label. The higher the number, the greater the UMF test result and corresponding antimicrobial, therapeutic and healing qualities.
UMF was first discovered by Dr Peter Molan, MBE, of Waikato University's Honey Research Unit.
Honey contains an enzyme that produces hydrogen peroxide, a proven antiseptic with antibacterial properties.
Dr Molan's research found another more powerful and more stable antibacterial activity, called UMF, in some strains of manuka honey.
UMF is additional to the hydrogen peroxide antibacterial activity.
These two activities together have a synergistic effect enhancing their effectiveness.
Studies are showing the enhanced antibacterial qualities of high activity UMF Manuka Honey gives the honey special healing qualities.
There are Two Types of Manuka Honey:
1. Ordinary manuka honey with only the hydrogen peroxide antibacterial property common to most honeys. A very nice table honey.
2. UMF Manuka Honey with both the natural hydrogen peroxide antibacterial property plus its own natural UMF antibacterial property, giving it increased antibacterial potency. A specialty honey identified by the name UMF.
Low activity UMF5 is a nice table honey but is not recommended for special therapeutic use.
High activity UMF Manuka Honey (higher than UMF10) is the preferred honey for wound dressing and other special therapeutic uses.
Quality Control.
UMF Manuka Honey from a New Zealand company licensed to use the trademark UMF is audited and monitored to ensure it is true to label.
You know what you are getting if you get UMF Manuka Honey from a New Zealand company licensed to use the trademark UMF.
Look for the name UMF clearly stated on the front label of the jar
What is Active Manuka Honey?
* Originally manuka honey which had the extra UMF activity was known as Active Manuka Honey (and is often referred to by this name in the research papers and articles). However, the name "active" is now being used by many to refer to either the peroxide antibacterial activity or to honey with UMF levels too low to be recommended for therapeutic use.
* The word "active" does not indicate the honey has the special UMF property.
* There is no independent auditing and monitoring of honey called active manuka honey or manuka honey with any descriptive other than that labelled UMF.
* Great care needs to be taken when selecting honey for special therapeutic use - make sure it is genuine UMF Manuka Honey - and make sure the activity is above UMF10.
The Name UMF
To distinguish between the two types of manuka honey Dr Molan (honey researcher) and the Active Manuka Honey Association (AMHA) have named the additional antibacterial activity UMF (meaning Unique Manuka Factor).
It is unique because it is only in manuka honey and in only some (not all) manuka honey.
UMF Licensees.
The name UMF is the seal and trademark of the Active Manuka Honey Association and can be used only by licensed users who must meet set criteria.
Note: A licensee must be a New Zealand company. No overseas company is licensed to use the name UMF.
The UMF Standard is an industry registered standard indicating which honey has the special UMF activity.
The name UMF on the front label guarantees the honey has this special property.
UMF Guarantee
The name UMF is a guarantee that the honey being sold has the special UMF antibacterial activity to at least the level indicated on the label.
It applies only to honey packed and labelled in New Zealand and tested after each batch is packed.
It does not apply to honey in drums, etc still to be packed, nor to honey not packed in New Zealand.
Note: Only New Zealand companies are licensed to use the name UMF. Do not be misled by overseas companies claiming they have UMF honey under their own brand label - they are not licensees.
The UMF Rating
The name UMF is followed by a number indicating the strength of the UMF property after the honey has been packed in New Zealand. A UMF rating of 10 is the minimum.
Laboratory Testing of Manuka Honey for UMF Rating:
The special UMF antibacterial activity is not found in all manuka honey.
The presence of this activity can be detected only by special laboratory testing.
Samples of honey are sent to New Zealand Laboratory Services (NZ Labs), the only laboratory appointed to test honey for antibacterial activity using criteria laid down by the Honey Research Unit at Waikato University, New Zealand.
These tests measure the presence of and level of the UMF antibacterial activity.
The Test Results
The testing of the honey provides two sets of results:
1. Total Activity rating. Most honeys have a Total Activity rating with activity being due to the hydrogen peroxide property.
Note:Total Activity does not identify the UMF property.
2. UMF Activity rating indicates the strength of the UMF property. For this test a catalyse is added to the honey sample to remove the hydrogen peroxide so that all that is measured is the strength of the UMF property.
The UMF activity rating is the most important when identifying manuka honey with the special UMF property.
The UMF Ratings (measure of antibacterial strength):
0-4: Not detectable
5-9: Maintenance levels only (a nice table honey but not recommended for special therapeutic use)
10-15: Useful levels endorsed by the Honey Research Unit at The University of Waikato
16 and over: Superior levels with very high activity.
What Can UMF Do?
1. In laboratory studies honey with high UMF activity (over UMF10) has been found to be effective against a wide range of bacteria including the very resistant helicobacter pylori (this bacteria causes most stomach ulcers), the wound-infecting bacteria staphylococcus aureus and escherichia coli, streptococcus pyogenes (causes sore throats).
2. Studies are showing UMF Manuka Honey with high levels of UMF activity (over UMF10) could be very effective in helping relieve stomach ulcer symptoms and gastritis, and when applied topically, in assisting the natural healing of skin ulcers, wounds, burns, boils, cracked skin, MRSA.
Studies are also showing high UMF activity (over UMF10) helps make UMF Manuka Honey excellent for relieving sore throats and oral hygiene.
3. The UMF activity is very stable, unlike the hydrogen peroxide antibacterial activitycommon to most honey. The hydrogen peroxide activity is easily destroyed by heat, light and water and also destroyed by the catalase effect of the body serum.
But the UMF activity is quite stable, making honey which has UMF the preferred honey for therapeutic use.
Why is UMF In Only Some Manuka Honey?
Bees gather manuka honey from the nectar of the flowers of the manuka bush (Leptospermum scoparium) which is a native plant of New Zealand.
The manuka bush grows wild on undeveloped, unspoilt and regenerating land, and is commonly found throughout the country.
Manuka honey with UMF activity is gathered from the manuka flowers in only a few places in New Zealand - UMF is not in the nectar of all manuka flowers.
It is also evident that some areas of manuka bushes do not produce honey with UMF activity every year, and the concentrations of UMF can vary from batch to batch and year to year.
For this reason samples of every batch of UMF Manuka Honey are tested after the honey has been packed into jars.
UMF is a phytochemical-derived activity (it comes from the nectar of the flower); whereas the hydrogen peroxide activity common to most honey is from an enzyme added to the honey by the bee.
The reason why only some manuka honey has the unique UMF antibacterial activity is not yet known.
It could be from a sub-species of manuka or due to some environmental factor such as soil type. The researchers are currently looking into this question.
没有评论:
发表评论