UMF™ stands for Unique Mānuka Factor, an independently certified quality assurance mark for genuine New Zealand monofloral Mānuka Honey. UMF™ measures both the purity and quality of Mānuka Honey based on the levels of four unique signature compounds: leptosperin, dihydroxyacetone (DHA), methylglyoxal (MGO) and HydroxyMethylFurfuraldehyde (HMF). Comvita adopts a dual grading system - MGO & UMF™ to provide additional assurance to consumers.
The MGO lettering is the shorthand for ‘Methylglyoxal’, the dominant active component in Mānuka Honey, used to measure anti-bacterial activity. Labels with MGO (plus a number) explain the presence of Methylglyoxal in the content. The minimum for a monofloral Mānuka Honey is MGO 83. The higher the number, the higher the MGO level.
Measuring only one compound, such as MGO, is not sufficient to ensure that compound is from a natural Mānuka Honey source. That's why Comvita adopts a dual grading system - MGO & UMF™ to provide additional assurance to consumers.
In one country, it was found that a company was adding synthetic MGO to honey to achieve test results so it is important to check all 3 markers are present in Mānuka Honey.
Other measuring tools such as 'Active', 'NPA' are used at the discretion of the producing company, with no third party checks in place.