3.2.7. Combination of Non-Conforming Elements

Of the 276 non-conforming honey samples, 39 (14.1%) had more than one instance of non-compliance with the quality criteria. Approximately 35/251 samples, or 13.9%, of the honey samples did not meet the quality criteria on more than one count, with the distribution being as follows: glucose, fructose, and sucrose (9 samples); glucose, fructose, and HMF (8 samples); HMF and moisture (8 samples); glucose, fructose and moisture (4 samples); glucose, fructose, HMF, and moisture (2 samples); glucose, fructose, and acidity (2 samples); sucrose and HMF (1 sample); and HMF, diastase content, and sucrose (1 sample).

The combination of non-conformities in 9 samples (glucose, fructose and sucrose) may have resulted from the addition of sucrose or table sugar, which will reduce the percent of glucose and fructose present in total sugars detected. The combination of non-conformities in one sample (HMF, diastase content and sucrose) was probably due to the exposure of this sample to overheating; published work has shown that an increased temperature increases HMF and reduces diastase activity, especially for temperatures over 60 ◦C [50]. Therefore, the sample that was non-compliant due to a combination of HMF and diastase levels was not acceptably fresh.

The majority of the combined infractions included the violation of glucose and fructose content, which is highly affected by climate, honeybee flora, and honey handling practices [51].
