In recent weeks, the ProSieben science programme Galileo visited our laboratory in Völs. An exciting feature entitled ‘Food Detective Honey’ was filmed, showing how we can use state-of-the-art DNA technology to verify the authenticity and origin of honey.
Honey contains tiny amounts of DNA – pollen is of particular interest to us here. This carries the male genetic material. It is precisely these traces that we make visible with DNA forage analysis. With our Sinsoma DNA honey profile, we not only show which plant species the bees have visited. In addition to the flowers visited, animals, fungi, bacteria and viruses also provide DNA traces that are preserved in the honey. Taken together. Each honey DNA profile is unique – the abundance of traces is very difficult to reproduce artificially. This allows us to verify the authenticity of bee honey. This creates transparency for beekeepers, traders and consumers alike.
In the Galileo report, viewers gain an insight into our work: from sample collection, DNA extraction and PCR to bioinformatic analysis. Modern sequencing allows us to precisely identify even rare species and thus create a detailed DNA profile. This enables us to verify quality promises and reliably prove the authenticity of honey.
For legal reasons, we are not permitted to embed the video directly – however, you can view the article here.