THE C4 SUGAR INDEX IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT IN ASSESSING HONEY QUALITY

There are many ways to distinguish pure honey from blended honey, or real honey from fake honey, but are all of these methods actually accurate?

If you've ever tried testing this by dripping honey on paper, dropping it into water, or soaking a fresh scallion stalk in honey, these are only relatively reliable ways to identify real honey. To determine whether honey is 100% natural, you need to measure the carbon isotope ratio of C4 sugar in the honey. But what exactly is the C4 sugar index? Let's find out with Monabee.

Monabee pure honey has a C4 sugar index of approximately 0

The C4 sugar index

Both C3 and C4 sugars are the two main types of sugar found in honey, but the process that creates them is different. C3 sugar is created through the photosynthesis of C3 plants and is the main type of sugar, making up to 99% of honey. C4 sugar, meanwhile, is created through the photosynthesis of C4 plants, mostly from sugarcane, corn, and some other tropical plants.

If honey has a C4 sugar content below 7%, it's called pure honey. Conversely, if honey has a C4 sugar content higher than 7%, it may have been blended with sugar from other plant sources.

In fact, many Vietnamese food regulatory agencies require businesses to test the amount of cane sugar (sucrose) in honey as a basis for determining whether honey is purely natural, but this is almost meaningless. Beekeepers don't mix cane sugar directly into honey—instead, they feed bees sugar around the time of harvesting to increase yield. In that case, the bees' digestive system has already broken the sugar down into two simple sugars, glucose and fructose (the two sweet substances found in natural honey). So no matter how many tests you run, you won't find cane sugar in the honey.

Most countries in Europe and the US identify substandard honey by testing its C4 sugar index. The C4 sugar index allows regulatory agencies to trace the origin of the glucose and fructose sweeteners, and the C4 sugar index reflects this honestly and accurately.

The permitted index for honey is C4 sugar < 7%. If C4 sugar > 7%, that honey is considered to have been produced from bees fed sugar.

This shows that the smaller the C4 sugar index, the higher-quality the honey. A C4 sugar index of 0 or approximately 0 is called natural honey, similar to wild honey, even if it's farmed honey.

What is the C4 sugar index in Monabee coffee flower honey?

Monabee coffee flower honey is produced from the nectar of coffee flowers grown in mountainous areas at an elevation of over 1,000m. The honey has an amber color, a distinctive coffee flower aroma, a light sweetness, and a slightly bitter aftertaste.

Notably, Monabee coffee flower honey has a C4 sugar content of 0.2%. This proves that the honey is produced entirely from coffee flower nectar, without being blended with any other type of sugar, and is pure honey (similar to the concept of wild honey).

Monabee honey has a C4 sugar index close to 0, giving it value similar to wild honey

This index was confirmed by testing from the relevant authorities and is considered a major advantage for Monabee as it supplies and distributes honey in a chaotic market. C4 sugar is a type of sugar with a high glycemic index, which can raise blood sugar and cause obesity. Therefore, Monabee honey is a suitable choice for people with diabetes, obesity, or anyone looking to lose weight.

Even more notably, the honey contains many valuable nutrients that help boost natural resistance, support cough treatment and many other health issues, and contains many antioxidants that neutralize harmful free radicals, helping improve digestion and protect the cardiovascular system.

Besides pure honey, Monabee also offers herbal honey varieties, which are products mixed with ginger, lemon, kumquat, turmeric, and more, for greater convenience and to suit a wider range of consumer needs. These include honey lemon ginger, turmeric royal jelly honey, and kumquat mint honey, among others. All the herbs soaked with the honey are thoroughly cleaned, sliced, and freeze-dried at deep sub-zero temperatures to remove all moisture, allowing the product to be preserved longer while fully retaining its nutrients and medicinal properties.

Monabee also has a line of herbal honey that carries many health benefits

Today, Monabee is a leading honey brand in Vung Tau, an OCOP-certified product, and has earned the trust of customers across the country.