Tranz Alpine Organic Manuka Honey

Observed from space, planet earth has a blue glow. It owes its nickname ”blue planet“ to the oceans, which cover almost two-thirds of its surface. A glance at the globe shows that the dry land is mostly situated in the Northern Hemisphere. South of the equator, the land area is only 19%; the rest is accounted for by the seemingly endless expanses of the seas. Only one-tenth of the world's population lives in the Southern Hemisphere. Because many regions were settled very late, nature was able to develop undisturbed for a long time. The best example of this is New Zealand. South of this island nation there's only the Antarctica. Because of its isolated location, New Zealand has developed a unique ecosystem over millions of years. There was an exceptionally diverse bird life, but apart from bats there were no land mammals. These were first brought to the island by humans. Towards the end of the 13th century, the island was discovered and settled by Polynesian seafarers. With the Polynesians, who later founded the Māori culture, dogs and rats came to New Zealand. About 200 years ago the newcomers from the old world brought sheep, goats, cattle, pigs, horses and rabbits to New Zealand.

The first Europeans settled in New Zealand at the end of the 18th century. Its unique flora soon aroused the interest of renowned botanists. They were particularly fascinated by the South Sea myrtle, which was called Mānuka by the Māori. Mānuka grows shrubby as well as tree-shaped. As a tree, it can reach a height of up to 15 meters. The extremely tough plant is related to the tea tree and occurs mainly in the mountains and in the north of New Zealand. For the Maori, the manuka myrtle was an important medicinal plant. With the brew of different parts of the manuka plant, they treated a variety of symptoms. The beneficial effects of the South Sea myrtle mostly come from its essential oils.

Although the manuka myrtle has been used by the healers of the Maori for centuries, the famous manuka honey is a comparatively young product. The reason for this simply, that
bees were first brought to New Zealand in 1839. Since then, they have collected the flower nectar of the manuka myrtle for honey production. Its effect against various bacteria, viruses and fungi is still being researched, but scientists have come up with some information on a very special ingredient. Manuka honey contains the antibacterial sugar dismantling product methylglyoxal (MGO). This substance is also found in normal table honey, but its content is usually only 0.1 to 0.2 mg per kilo of honey. With 100 mg to 555 mg per kg, however, the MGO content of manuka honey is many times higher. So far, it has not yet been clarified if the active ingredient with the antibacterial effect is produced by the bees during processing the nectar or if it is already contained in the manuka myrtle.

At the Institute of Food Chemistry of the Technical University of Dresden (TUD) the methylglyoxal concentration of different manuka honeys from New Zealand was measured. Its antibacterial effect could also be detected quantitatively. Such research results, as well as many unproven claims about its mode of action, have paved the way for the manuka honey in the Western world. Since then, it has been tried by more and more people. In Hollywood, it is considered to be the new beauty secret of the stars. Many models and actresses rely on face masks with manuka honey.

The apiary Tranz Alpine Honey NZ Ltd from Huntingdon, a sparsely populated village in the Canterbury region of southern New Zealand, has been breeding bee colonies in harmony with nature for 100 years. In 1993, the apiary was certified for its controlled organic beekeeping. The valuable New Zealand Organic Manuka Honey of Tranz Alpine is available in the varieties MGO 100+, MGO 250+, MGO 300+, MGO 400+ and MGO 550+. Manuka honey has a rather spicy taste, in which a subtle sharpness can be perceived. It can be taken pure, but it also tastes good in tea or on a bread roll for breakfast. Discover the beneficial effects of New Zealand's most coveted honey with the Organic Manuka Honey of Tranz Alpine.