APIS Volume 7, Number 9, September 1989
In this issue
- More on Italy
- Italian Honey is the Best
- The EEC--European Economic Community
MORE ON ITALY
Things were quiet during the month of August here. This is the traditional time when almost all Italians head for the mountains or the sea. During the true dog days of August, Bologna was practically a ghost town with most of its shops closed for "ferie." If one contemplates a summer sojourn in Italy, the best advice is never come in August. In some respects, like many university towns, it was pleasant with all the students absent. Gone were the numerous mopeds using the porticos as private streets. The pollution also diminished noticeably as did the general racket along the main drags. A counterpoint was the closure of restaurants and other places of business. One had to know where to go for the neccesities of life. Even the computer here had a few days off and I temporarily lost electronic contact with the rest of the world.
The deadest day was Ferraugusto (August 15) a general holiday dating all the way back a to Augustus Caesar. European vacaction time is over by September first. Bologna has bustled back to its normal self, and I am on the road again. Last week I travelled to northeast Italy to visit the town of Udine. There in the foothills of the mountains separating Italy from Austria,
"Varroa" was first detected in Italy in 1981. It is not known how the mite got there, but most believe it was brought in on the backs of bees from Yugoslavia. The year after its first detection, the mite was found in places as far away as central Italy. Thus, before any control measures could be mounted, it was too late to stem the invasion. The pest now inhabits the entire country as well as the islands of Sicily and Sardinia.
Since introduction of "Varroa" in its backyard, the Istituto di Difesa delle Piante, Udine University has been at the forefront of the battle to contain and control the mite. The current rector of the University, Prof. F. Frilli, a beekeeper and researcher, recently published on the situation in Italy. His conclusion was that "cohabitation" with "Varroa" has finally been achieved; it is no longer unknown and beekeepers are interested in the problem. A type of natural selection has also occurred in beekeeping. Uninformed and unmotivated beekeepers have been put out of business.
Dr. Norberto Milani, an eminent entomologist who came to Udine from the University of Padova at Prof. Frilli's invitation, now directs much of the bee research in Udine as Dr. Frilli is busy administrating the affairs of the University. He has compiled an extensive bibliography of publications about "Varroa", and along with colleagues, hosted an international convention on the mite in collaboration with Austria, Germany and Yugoslavia in Trent, Italy in 1987 and also an experts meeting in Udine in 1988.
Dr. Bill Bruce, now on the staff at the bee lab Beltsville, Md., stayed in Udine (1988) for several months collaborating with scientists there to raise mites on artificial diets. These efforts have failed so far. A big problem, according to Dr. Milani, is the high temperature of the brood nest where "Varroa" develops. Any diet at that temperature tends to deteriorate very quickly.
Studies continue in Udine and the group is one of the most prolific in publishing its research. Current projects include developing control measures and studying basic mite biology. Soon the entomology section will move into a new building which will provide much more space than the current facility. The group also does some extension related work. In May, 1989 it published a magnificent booklet entitled "L'Ape" which contains 38 pages of full color illustrations, including scanning electron micrographs, on the anatomy of the honey bee.
HONEY-LE ITALIANE LO FANNO MEGLIO
The ninth annual "Giulio Piana" honey contest is history. The Piana Prize is perhaps the most prestigous award currently given in Italy. It is named after one of the country's pioneer beekeepers, who died over a decade ago. The winners were announced September 10 near the residence of the Piana family, who still carry on the bee business near Bologna, in the community of Castel San Pietro Terme. Terme refers to the fact that a thermal spring is found here. On the grounds of the terme in conjunction with the judging, there was a honey fair and exhibit area for beekeeping products. Inside the nearby convention center, a national meeting was held on maintaining the quality of Italian honey.
This year's competition included 350 samples of honey from all over Italy. Each entry was first run through a preliminary laboratory screening for moisture and pollen analyis. The samples were then judged by a prestigous group of "honey sommelliers" for their organoleptic qualities. This latter term refers to the sensorial, necessarily subjective, qualities of honey; its taste, color, and odor. The coordinating judge was Prof. Michel Gonnet, Institute of Agronomic Research, Avignon, France, who is reputed to have invented the judging system using organoleptics as an important honey marketing tool. In the end, 58 prizes were awarded.
The energy expended in judging the Piana Prize greatly surpasses that for any similar contest in the U.S. to my knowledge. It points to an interesting difference between the philosophies of producing/marketing honey in the U.S. versus Italy and all of Europe for that matter. The rules are much stricter and more highly defined on the continent than in the U.S. In Italy, there is a strong tradition of controlling/regulating all kinds of activity. This presumably arose through the centuries as conquering political entities tried to govern territories they subjected. The current effort to control honey has as its base a great deal of research on the qualities of the sweet that are for the most part ignored in the U.S.
For example, three articles in the 1988 edition of "Apicoltura", the major Italian research publication, are concerned with identifying variables that can be used to determine Italian unifloral honeys. It was found that color, light rotation (polarization), electric conductivity, HMF and diastase content, total acidity and pH, sugar content (total fructose, total glucose and total fructose plus glucose) were important measurements in the process. In a followup paper, statistical "cluster analysis" of 392 samples was run to determine the effectiveness of this method.
Besides the above effort, a large amount of previous research has gone into determining the characteristics of various pollens found in honey. Again, the aim has been to characterize Italian honey as much as is humanly possible.
One result of this is the classic volume, Flora Apistica Italiana, written by G. Ricciardelli d'Albore and L. Persano Oddo. This book contains microscopic photos of 299 pollens found in Italian honeys. While some attention has been paid to characterizing the plants important to beekeeping in the U.S., very little effort has been devoted to the issue of pollen study in determining unifloral nectar sources.
As I mentioned in a previous newsletter, the Federazione Apicoltori Italiani (FAI) provides a seal of quality to its members. Its presence guarantees the honey in the container to be Italian in origin. In it's volume, L'Apicoltura Italiana, the FAI says that honey sealed in this manner is controlled through a joint effort of the National Consumer's Union and the FAI by inspections of extracting facilities and insistence on analysis of honey samples. This was underscored in an article in the March, 1989 issue of Mondo Agricolo, a magazine dedicated to agricultural affairs. The title of the article was, "Le Italiane lo Fanno Meglio," roughly translated, "Italian honey does it better." The gist of the article is that honey is a good product, responsible for helping conserve human health. It goes on to say that scientific evidence confirms honey helps cure respiratory, kidney and gastro-intestinal problems and that the sweet is used in many cosmetic products. Finally, the article takes its agrument one step farther saying that honey is good, yes, but Italian honey is better.
Although the amount of effort may be different in characterizing honey, the Italians have similar concerns as U.S. beekeepers when it comes to imported honey. The article noted above is one response to the large amount of the sweet currently arriving from China, Mexico and Argentina. Another is a national honey convention, held for the first time this year in conjunction with Piana prize. The purpose of the meeting was to propose a designation, "Miele Vergine Integrale," translated as whole virgin honey. The effort results from three factors which are considered grave threats to honey marketing in Italy: (1) domestic marketing problems because of imports, (2) large bee loss due to "Varroa", and (3) a fragmented domestic honey marketing structure.
Specifically, the requirements for the denomination "whole virgin honey" include a maximum water content of 18%, various diastase and HMF levels depending on kind of honey being marketed, and that no product containing the honey be heated above 45 degrees C (113 degrees F). Finally, it is proposed that the label show where the honey was bottled, that it should be consumed by a certain date and any from outside the country should be called "imported."
The drafters of whole virgin honey rule believe that such a denomination would be the best way to maintain the quality and value of Italian honey. It was also suggested at the convention that this designation be proposed for all of Europe, when the European Economic Community (EEC) becomes a reality in 1992.
THE EEC--A FORCE TO RECKON WITH
Italy will be a big part of the EEC. Those who are currently working in regulating honey through the auspices of the Italian National Apicultural Institute in Bologna have had several meetings with counterparts to iron out rules concerning honey. It will not be easy. There appear to be a great number of variables and persons involved, and in the past, the extreme regionalism that characterizes Europe has prevented many accords.
An important meeting occurred in April 1989 of EEC professionals and marketers in bee products. Billed as ApinFiera, the event's theme was the honey market of European countries bordering the Mediterranean--collabration or competition. According to a report of the meeting in "Il Produttore", information bulletin of the Professional Italian Apiculturalists Association, the meeting was opened by Mr. Lucio Cavazzoni, Italian representative to the EEC. Mr. Cavazzoni communicated to the delegates the importance of unified effort over southern Europe, proposed creation of a promotional campaign at the European level and suggested the possibility of developing new products based on honey.
The French representative, Mr. Hornecker, lamented the fact that organization was still insufficient to regulate products at the European level. One reason is that only 7 or 8 of the 12 countries involved have agreed to proposals deregulating importation. Dr. Raymond Bornek, president of Apimondia, also proposed institutions of research at the European level which would provide a base for a variety of activities from new bee products to controlling "Varroa". Representatives from Spain and Portugal underlined the fact that their countries were still on the fringes of the EEC. Although much remains to be done concerning standardizing bee products, the meeting closed on a high note; all recognized the ecological value of the honey bee and its importance in the pollination of crops.
Malcolm T. Sanford
Bldg 970, Box 110620
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611-0620
Phone (904) 392-1801, Ext. 143 FAX: 904-392-0190
http://www.ifas.ufl.edu/~entweb/apis/apis.htm
INTERNET Address: MTS@GNV.IFAS.UFL.EDU
©1989 M.T. Sanford "All Rights Reserved
