IAEA Fellow Enrique Mejías examines honey samples using stable isotopic analyses to determine their composition. In cases of honey fraud, honey may be diluted with inexpensive sweeteners such as high fructose corn syrup.(Photo: E. Mejías/CCHEN).
The IAEA, through the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture and its technical cooperation programme , is helping countries, including Algeria, Bangladesh , Cuba and Thailand, to build the scientific skills needed to protect consumers from adulterated and unsafe honey products. Algeria can now detect chemical hazards in honey and other food items and Thailand has developed the capacity to authenticate the nearly 3000 tonnes of honey and honey products it exports each year.
Chile is expanding its scientific capacity to authenticate honey, enhancing food safety through the application of nuclear and related techniques.
Protecting Small-scale Beekeeping from Honey Fraud
From Patagonia to Easter Island, Chile's diverse geography and biodiversity provide unique nectar sources for bees, producing distinct types of honey exported worldwide. The country's honey industry, however, is under threat from food fraud, and the substitution of counterfeit honey.
According to FAO, 96.3% of Chile's beekeeping industry is comprised of small producers with less than 300 hives whose livelihoods depend on the value of their products. The IAEA and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) are supporting Chilean scientists to classify and catalogue samples of local honey from around the country by establishing a national database for honey based on stable isotopic profiles. By verifying the authenticity of their honey, Chilean beekeepers can help ensure access to international markets, where specialty honeys from local beekeepers can fetch a premium price.
"Food fraud causes producers profound harm by devaluing their products through unfair competition from low-cost counterfeit honeys. For this reason, our aim at CCHEN is to strengthen the sector by providing scientific tools to certify the authenticity of their honeys, ensuring that the product's value accurately reflects its quality and origin," said Enrique Mejías, a researcher at the Chilean Nuclear Energy Commission (CCHEN).
Researchers in Chile collect honey samples to analyse for the new database. (Photo: E. Mejías/CCHEN).
Building a Trained Workforce
Following IAEA capacity building in 2024, Chilean scientists built a database of isotopic 'fingerprints' for Chilean honey, which can provide precise indications of its origins and can be used to detect fraud by identifying sugar additives. The scientists expanded their knowledge of analytical tools for honey fraud detection and honey authentication that align with AOAC International and Codex Alimentarius Standards reference methods.
"Building sustainable scientific capacity is at the core of enabling countries to address complex challenges such as food fraud. By equipping experts with advanced tools and aligning methodologies with international standards, we are fostering long-term resilience and credibility in food systems," said Dongxin Feng, Director of the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre.
To enable the scientists to conduct the analyses, the IAEA technical cooperation programme provided CCHEN and the University of Chile with essential equipment, including an FTIR spectrometer to help detect added sugars, syrups or other adulterants, and an ED-XRF spectrometer to help measure trace element contamination and identify the likely geographical origin of the honey.
Chilean researcher Enrique Mejías also developed in-depth expertise in using nuclear and isotopic techniques for testing food authenticity, including isotope ratio mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance and FTIR infrared analysis, during a fellowship at the FAO/IAEA Food Safety and Control Laboratory in Seibersdorf, Austria. He is now putting this knowledge to good use in Chile, where scientists are collecting additional data on domestic honey to be used for authentification.
"The IAEA is supporting Chile in cultivating a skilled workforce of nuclear scientists who can help ensure the long-term success of the beekeeping industry and those who depend on it," said Luis Longoria, Director of the IAEA Technical Cooperation Division for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Bees are an important pollinator, but their populations are declining. (Photo: L. Longoria/IAEA)
Monitoring Bee Health
The IAEA recently launched a new technical cooperation project to support Chile in monitoring and diagnosing bee health. Although Chile has so far escaped severe bee diseases, recent outbreaks of the endemic bee disease 'American foulbrood', which can spread rapidly, pose challenges. In addition to harming bee populations, bee diseases can result in honey that is unsafe for human consumption. Infected hives must be culled and quarantines put in place to stop outbreaks from spreading. By improving its capacity to track bee diseases, Chile will be better equipped to protect bees and ensure food safety.
"Bee health in Chile is a cornerstone of the sector's sustainability and competitiveness," said Franco Alejandro Gamboa González, National Bee Health Officer at Chile's Agricultural and Livestock Service. "While the country remains in a favourable position in terms of exotic diseases, the challenges associated with endemic diseases, particularly American foulbrood, require a comprehensive and sustained approach over time. In this context, strengthening health surveillance, developing diagnostic capabilities and coordinating with international organizations are key to addressing these challenges and positioning Chile as a global leader in bee health."
