This article is for general information only and is not medical advice.

What Is Active Honey?

Have you ever seen a jar of honey with a number next to it — 5+, 10+, 15+? Or MGO 70+, TA 10+, UMF 10+? These numbers describe "active honey" — honey that has been tested and certified by an independent laboratory to have measurable antibacterial activity.

Although manuka is the best-known active honey, other floral types genuinely have antibacterial activity too.

How Is the Activity of Honey Measured?

Activity is measured in a laboratory using an agar diffusion test that compares the antibacterial effect of a honey sample against a series of phenol (a reference antiseptic) solutions of known strength. The honey's antibacterial "zone of inhibition" against bacteria is compared to the phenol series to produce an equivalent percentage — this is a genuine, established food-science method, used industry-wide since the early 1990s. On a jar label, this is usually rounded to the nearest multiple of 5 (5+, 10+, 15+, 20+).

The higher the number, the stronger the antibacterial effect measured in that lab test. It's worth being precise about what that means, though: this is a laboratory measurement of antibacterial potency against bacteria in a petri dish, not a clinical measurement of what the honey does inside the human body when eaten or applied to skin.

Where Does the Activity in Honey Come From?

There are two types of activity in honey: Peroxide Activity (PA) and Non-Peroxide Activity (NPA).

• Peroxide Activity comes from naturally occurring hydrogen peroxide in honey, produced by an enzyme bees add during nectar processing.
• Non-Peroxide Activity comes from other bioactive compounds. In manuka honey, NPA is also called UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) — they refer to the same thing.

Total Activity (TA) = Peroxide Activity + Non-Peroxide Activity

Peroxide Activity degrades with heat, so pasteurising or heating active honey above 45°C can reduce its activity — never heat or microwave it if you want to preserve this. It degrades only very slowly at room temperature over time.

What Is the MGO Rating?

MGO (methylglyoxal) is another way manuka honey activity is measured, and it is not the same scale as UMF/NPA. Broadly:

So an MGO 70+ is not comparable to a UMF 20+ — it sits at the lower end of the scale. Some retailers display the larger MGO number prominently, which can look more impressive to shoppers who aren't aware the two scales aren't interchangeable.

Does a High Activity Rating Mean the Honey Is a Medicine?

No, and it's worth being direct about this. A TA or UMF rating is a real, independently verifiable lab measurement of antibacterial potency — that part is genuine science. But it does not mean the honey has been through the clinical trials and regulatory approval that an actual medical product requires. Certain medical-grade honey products (used in licensed wound dressings, for example) are manufactured, sterilised and regulated specifically for that purpose, with clinical evidence behind their use. A jar of table honey with a lab-verified activity rating, however genuine that rating is, hasn't gone through that process, so it isn't correct to describe it as being able to "build the immune system," "fight infections," or aid recovery "after surgery" — these would be treatment claims the underlying lab test doesn't support.

Honey is also not suitable for infants under 12 months due to a small risk of infant botulism, and anyone with a pollen or bee product allergy should take the same care with active honey as with any other honey.

How Do You Use Active Honey?

Active honey can be used the same way as any other raw honey — in water, on toast, or however you'd normally enjoy honey. Some people also apply it topically to the skin; if trying this, test a small area first, since reactions are possible in anyone with a honey or pollen sensitivity.

The Latin Honey Shop sells laboratory-certified active honeys, including the 20+ Active Raw Organic Coffee Bean Honey from Mexico and the 15+ Active Raw Organic Amazon Jungle Honey from Brazil.

How Do I Know an Active Honey's Rating Is Genuine?

Ask the supplier to see the laboratory certificate for the specific batch you're buying, in addition to your usual checks on the company (registration, address, reviews, and so on).

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What does an activity rating like 10+ or 20+ actually measure? A laboratory comparison of the honey's antibacterial effect against a reference phenol solution — a genuine, established test, but a lab measurement, not a claim about what happens inside the human body.

2. Is MGO the same as UMF? No — they're different scales. A high MGO number on its own doesn't mean the honey matches a high UMF rating; check the equivalence table.

3. Does a high rating mean the honey can treat an infection or illness? No. It means the honey has measurable antibacterial activity in a lab test. That's different from being a clinically tested, regulated medical treatment.

4. Should I heat active honey? No — heat above 45°C reduces its peroxide activity, so it's best used in cool or lukewarm drinks and food.

Sources & References

• Peer-reviewed methodology — Development and Validation of a New Microplate Assay for Honey Antibacterial Activity, describing the industry-standard phenol equivalence (UMF/TA) assay