Australian manuka honey matches its New Zealand counterpart in fighting bacteria, according to a new study from researchers in Sydney.
Photo: 123RF
University of Technology Sydney scientists today released a report that looked at more than 80 honey samples from New South Wales and Queensland manuka trees.
The authors of the report said the findings put Australian manuka honey on the international radar at a time when antibiotic resistance is in a global crisis.
Bacteria was killed on contact with the honey, and it did not develop a resistance to it.
The research focused on the presence of a compound known as methylglyoxal, or MGO, which was known to act against golden staph and other superbugs resistant to current antibiotics.
It said this compound was present in New Zealand manuka, and the study has found high levels of it in the Australian variety.