Project:

Honey Honey, Don't Conceal It

Students:

Janah Choucair, Lauren Bazay, Tricia Wang

School:

Leon M. Goldstein High School for the Sciences, Brooklyn

Mentors:

Cristelita Naanos

Abstract:

This Urban Barcoding Project focuses on identifying if commercial honey is properly labeled. By collecting honey from different supermarkets across New York City, we can centrifuge the honey to separate the pollen molecules, which carry DNA. By extracting the DNA from the pollen, we can source the honey and delineate which plant the honey is from. With this information, we can determine if commercial honey is genuine or if it is diluted with other substances such as corn syrup. Pollen is screened for in honey because it is an indicator of the honey’s origin, telling us if it came from plants pollinated by bees or not. Through determining sources of adulterated honey, we hope to not only uncover mislabeled products, but also to raise awareness for health issues that arise with mislabeling products, as well as the importance of honey environmentally and medicinally.

Poster:

Team samples: