Soon an Indian standard for enzyme Diastase in honey

PUNE: Indian honey is soon likely to get a domestic standard for Diastase, an enzyme that is considered good for diabetes patients as well as for carbohydrate digestion. However, exporters say Indian standards are more urgently needed to regulate the antibiotics in honey.

Pune-based Central Honey Bee Research and Training Institute (CHBRTI) is working on a two-year project to come out with Indian standard for diastase in Indian honey. "According to the European standard, 8N should be the diastase content in honey. So far, we have noticed that Indian honey has diastase between 3 and 50," said CHBRTI's deputy director Daisy Thomas.

Exporters are, however, demanding domestic standards that will be on a par with the global norms.

"Our honey already has higher diastase than required by the global community," said an exporter, who did not wish to be named. "So having standards for diastase will not make much difference to Indian honey exports." Sardar Jagjit Singh Kapoor, chairman and managing director of Kashir Apiaries, India's leading honey exporter said, "We are not able to grow our exports as good quality honey is not available in sufficient quantity. We need standards to improve quality of our honey."

Similarly, another prominent exporter, Prakash Kejriwal, managing director of Kejriwal Bee Care said, "We want the FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) to notify the standards for Indian honey." Another exporter claimed on condition of anonymity that Indian honey is not good for health. "There is no agency to monitor the antibiotics in Indian honey. There should be no sugar in honey. But Indian honey has up to 40% sugar due to added sugar and rice syrup, which is available at 35 per kg," the exporter said.