Mānuka honey has significant value in a clinical setting where it can be used to beat superbugs and promote healing. The original research on the antibiotic properties of Mānuka honey was carried out by Dr Peter Molan at the Honey Research Institute at the University of Waikato in New Zealand in the 1980’s. Later in 2008, researchers in Germany, at the University of Dresden, were able to identify the active antibacterial component of the honey as methylglyoxal (MGO).

The higher the MGO level, the more potent the antibiotic properties of the Mānuka Honey.

The grades for Mānuka Honey in the MGO rating system can be any number from 30 (for multfloral Mānuka Honey) to over 850 (normally the highest grade of Mānuka Honey).

You might also be familiar with the NPA rating which relates to the amount of Non-Peroxide Activity there is within the Mānuka honey. NPA is a measurement of MGO. Likewise, UMF (Unique Mānuka Factor) is determined as a scale of the MGO level. The approximate relationship between the MGO concentration and the NPA antibacterial strength rating of Mānuka honey is shown in the table below along with the UMF rating.

UMF does not measure multifloral Mānuka honey.