HISTORY
Australian history
Although honey can be found in virtually every country in the world, conditions in Australia are ideal for creating unique, high-quality honey.
All Berringa honey only comes from Australian beekeepers, ensuring superior quality.
Many people believe that it is only available in New Zealand, but it is actually produced in Australia as well.
In fact, Australia's warmer climate offers very favorable conditions for growing Manuka plants (and we have 83 species) that produce honey with high amounts of methylglyoxal (MGO) from its unique nectar and pollen, as recognized by world experts. in honey production.
Scientists believe that this is governed by the heat and humidity of the Australian environment, derived from the difference in latitude between Australia and New Zealand.
Berringa Australian Manuka Honey is collected by beekeepers in pristine coastal forests and scrublands in Australia, Queensland and New South Wales. Areas that are wild and typically experience harsh weather conditions. These conditions are ideal for the production of Manuka honey with exceptionally high levels of antibacterial activity, as measured by MGO.
The Berringa range even includes Berringa Super Manuka MGO900 +, which contains some of the highest MGO levels in the world.
Origin of Manuka Honey
Bees produce Manuka honey from the flowers of Leptospermum spp . Plants. Here is a chronological axis on history of the origins of Manuka plants and their honey.
1776
Leptospermum described for first
once by Johann Forster
Johann Forster initially described Leptospermums in his 1776 study of Characteres Generum Plantarum . Native to Australia, many endemic species of the Manuka plant are found nowhere else in the world. They evolved over millions of years and are very drought and fire tolerant, making them well adapted to the Australian climate.
Manuka is a short, hardy shrub with dense foliage, sharp and elongated blades with pointed ends. Its star flower is made up of five rounded petals that surround an exposed dome with protruding stamens.
The rough bark that peels off in strips gives the plant a characteristic, hairy appearance.
1822
The European bee is introduced to the Australian continent
With the arrival of colonial settlers from Great Britain, the European bee Apis mellifera arrived , introduced to Australia in 1822. Because of their ability to pollinate their crops, bees contribute greatly to our ability to produce food, and early settlers do so. they knew. What they didn't know was that when bees collected nectar from Manuka plants, the honey produced would have exceptional properties.
Interestingly, this is almost 20 years before the arrival of bees in New Zealand, making Australia the original home of Manuka honey. Due to its dark color and strong flavor, many of the earliest crops of Manuka honey were returned to bees as its flavor was stronger than eucalyptus or clover honey.
1988
Manuka's Unique Therapeutic Benefits Discovered
Research conducted in the 1980s identified the unique therapeutic benefits of Manuka honey when used in a clinical setting (Molan and Russell, 1988).
As a result, there has been a significant increase in demand and this has led to further research on why Manuka honey is so special.
nineteen ninety six
The largest number of native Leptospermum species are found in Australia
Australia is home to 83 of the 87 known Leptospermum species worldwide, including Leptospermum Scoparium species (Wrigley J, Fagg M. 1996).
Only one species is found in New Zealand, with the New Zealand species originating from Australia.
2009
Manuka's role in fighting antibiotic-resistant pathogens
Studies have found that bacteria with resistance to modern antibiotics (which turn into super bacteria) cannot develop resistance to the activity of Manuka honey (Blair et al. 2009).
Manuka effectively inhibits troublesome bacterial pathogens, unlike any other known antimicrobial, with attempts to generate honey-resistant bacterial strains in a laboratory without success.
2016
Exceptionally high activity levels found in Australian Manuka honey
Exceptionally high levels of MGO have been found in Manuka honey samples from Australia
(Cokcetin et al. 2016).
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The levels of DHA and MGO found in some Australian honeys are comparable to or higher than those seen in New Zealand Manuka honey.