INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION FOR THE BEST HONEY

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SENSORY ASSESSMENT OF HONEY

within the framework of the Apimedica & Apiquality 2010 symposium

The international honey and honey-based beverages competition will be organised within the framework of the Apimedica & Apiquality 2010 symposium.
The competition will be a public event open to all beekeepers and honey packers from Apimondia member countries.

HONEY

Basic terms and conditions of participation
The honey must have been harvested between 1 August 2009 and 31 July 2010.
The honey must meet the quality criteria as set forth herein.
The honey must be homogeneous and should, preferably, be presented in liquid form. If the honey is crystallised, we shall liquefy it at 40°C prior to the beginning of the sensory assessment.
Pasteurisation and ultrafiltration of honey are not allowed.
The honey will be evaluated in accordance with the valid Slovenian Rules on Sensory Assessment of Honey that are attached to this document.
Types of honey
Honey samples will be evaluated in the following categories:
-    multifloral honey – nectar honey (floral honey can be harvested from various plants blooming at the same time. The electrical conductivity of honey should be <0.8mS/cm)
-    forest honey – honeydew honey (forest honey can be harvested from various plants producing honeydew at the same time. The electrical conductivity of honey should be >0.8mS/cm)
-    acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia) honey
-    chestnut (Castanea sativa) honey
-    lime (Tilia spp.) honey
-    fir (Abies alba) honey
-    spruce (Picea abies) honey
Unifloral honey (acacia, chestnut, lime, fir and spruce honey) must display typical characteristics of the individual type of honey.
Sensory assessment in individual categories will be conducted if there are at least 10 samples entered in the competition.

Sample entry
The sensory assessment of honey will be conducted in three steps.

1.    Analysis

The honey sample must be sent to an accredited ISO 17 025 laboratory of your choice.
The sample must be accompanied by a test report determining the water content, electrical conductivity and HMF content.
The honey entered in the competition must meet the following physical and chemical parameters:
•    Water content in honey – maximum 18.6%. Samples with a higher water content will be eliminated from the competition. Water content will be judged at an interval from 13.0% to 18.6% in multiples of 0.025 points for each tenth of water content. Honey samples with 18.6% water content will be awarded 0 points and honey samples with 13% water content, 1.4 points.
•    The honey must not contain more than 15mg HMF per kilo of honey.

2.    Registration for sensory assessment

The honey sample should be registered on the application form that is attached to this document.
The application form should include the test report in Slovenian or English and a receipt on the payment of the EUR 50 participation fee and sent to the organisers by no later than 15 August 2010.
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3.    Samples

Samples of foreign honey will be accepted at the headquarters of the Slovenian Beekeepers Association from 1 September 2010, Mondays – Fridays from 8 am to 12 noon and on 28 September 2010 at the Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre until 12 noon.

The honey must be packed in at least 450g glasses and equipped with an appropriate declaration. The declaration must include the following information: type of honey, producer, country of origin, net weight, expiration date and lot of the batch.
A special committee for samples will pour the honey in neutral packaging and equip it with a corresponding code.
One honey sample will remain in original packaging.
It is preferred to deliver 1-2 photos of area where honey has been harvested, although this is not a mandatory condition of cooperation. 

4.    Participation fee

The EUR 50 participation fee is payable upon entry of sample.

5.    Statements

Upon entry or submission of the sample, the beekeeper must submit the following attached statements to representatives of the competition:
-    A statement that the owner of the sample agrees to public publication of his information and the achieved result at the competition
-    A statement of origin of the honey
-    A statement describing which medicinal products were used in the treatment of bees in 2009/2010.

6.    Superior analysis

The organiser reserves the right to carry out a subsequent analysis for establishing the conformity of the required physical and chemical parameters. If the results of such an analysis should indicate any deviations from the required levels, the sample can be stripped of its previously awarded recognition.

7.    Committee

The sensory assessment will take place on 29 and 30 September 2010 at the Ljubljana Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The official publication of results will take place on 1 October 2010 at the Semič Cultural Centre.

The sensory panels will be made up of 3 members. In each panel, there will be at least one representative from abroad and one or two national experts for sensory assessment.
The committee will conduct the sensory assessment according to the criteria set forth in the attached Rules on Sensory Assessment of Honey.

Those entering their honey for the competition cannot be members of the sensory panel.

APPLICATION FORM is available here.

Additional information:
-    Nataša Lilek – natasa.lilek@czs.si
-    Malči Božnar – ceb.boznar@siol.net