Australian Manuka Honey

Manuka Honey

Independently verifiedAMHA-certified Manuka honeyMGO measured by independent labs

Active Australian Manuka honey, traceable to its hives and independently graded.

Origin

Where it comes from

Leptospermum trees are native to Australia. Of the approximately 85 known species in the genus, all but three are found on Australian soil. The species that became internationally known as Manuka, Leptospermum scoparium, is one of the few that spread from Australia to New Zealand. The broader Leptospermum family, and the distinctive honey it produces, has always been Australian in origin.

Our honey is sourced from Nature's Gold, the Australian brand of Honeybiz Australia Pty Ltd, the family company founded by Jill Richards. European honeybees forage on native Australian Leptospermum, and each batch is traceable to the hives where it was produced and independently tested before it leaves the apiary.

Testing

How quality is measured

Manuka honey is graded by its content of methylglyoxal (MGO), the compound that distinguishes it chemically from standard floral honey. MGO forms naturally from dihydroxyacetone (DHA), a compound abundant in Leptospermum nectar. As the honey matures, DHA converts to MGO over time; the final MGO concentration is a direct reflection of the floral source and handling conditions.

Every batch of our Manuka honey is tested by an independent Australian laboratory using HPLC to measure MGO concentration and confirm the absence of adulteration. The MGO value is printed on the label. A parallel metric, Non-Peroxide Activity (NPA), is used to cross-verify potency independently of peroxide activity, giving a second reference point for the same chemistry.

These laboratory values describe the chemistry of the honey. They do not describe what the honey does inside a person.

Tradition

How it is used

Honey has been gathered by First Nations Australians, particularly from native stingless bees, for tens of thousands of years. Manuka, as we sell it, is a different product: a honey from European honeybees foraging on native Australian Leptospermum. It has been part of Australian and New Zealand culinary culture since the nineteenth century and traded as a distinctive single-origin honey for several decades.

It is eaten as you would eat any premium single-origin honey: spread on bread or toast, stirred into warm water or tea, paired with cheese, or eaten off a spoon. The convention is to keep water temperature below 40°C when dissolving it, to preserve heat-sensitive components. It is stored at room temperature, away from direct sunlight, and does not require refrigeration.

Research

What researchers have studied

The chemistry of Manuka honey became an active area of research from the early 2000s. The identification of methylglyoxal (MGO) as the primary active compound was published by Mavric and colleagues in 2008, with subsequent work by Adams and colleagues in 2009 mapping the conversion pathway from dihydroxyacetone (DHA) in Leptospermum nectar to MGO in the finished honey. These findings gave the Manuka industry its first scientifically grounded grading metric and remain the foundation of modern labelling standards.

More recent research has looked at the diversity of MGO-producing Leptospermum species across Australia, with studies finding comparable chemistry across multiple Australian species alongside the New Zealand L. scoparium. This supports the Australian provenance of the broader Manuka honey category. Australian groups, including researchers at the University of Sydney, have also measured the non-peroxide antibacterial activity of Leptospermum and other Australian honeys and how it tracks with MGO content.

Studies have been conducted in vitro (in laboratory conditions) or in preclinical models rather than in everyday food consumption. We list our key references below for readers who want to read the original work. We do not draw conclusions about what Manuka honey does inside the body. Questions about diet, supplements or treatment are best directed to a qualified healthcare professional.

References

Research & references

Source material referenced on this page. We do not draw clinical conclusions from these studies; they are listed so curious readers can read the originals.

  1. Identification and quantification of methylglyoxal as the dominant antibacterial constituent of Manuka (Leptospermum scoparium) honeys from New Zealand. Mavric E, Wittmann S, Barth G, Henle T.. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, 2008
  2. The origin of methylglyoxal in New Zealand manuka (Leptospermum scoparium) honey. Adams CJ, Manley-Harris M, Molan PC.. Carbohydrate Research, 2009
  3. The Antibacterial Activity of Australian Leptospermum Honey Correlates with Methylglyoxal Levels. Cokcetin NN, Pappalardo M, Campbell LT, Brooks P, Carter DA, Blair SE, Harry EJ.. PLOS ONE, 2016
  4. Diverse Forage Enhances the Antimicrobial Potency of Australian Honey. Fernandes KE, Dong A, Ayton J, Groves L, Graham K, Brooks P, Cokcetin N, Carter DA.. MicrobiologyOpen, 2026

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