Student project on honey wins award

SAMSUN - Doğan News Agency

Tuğçe Şahin (R) and İlayda Zengin’s project distinguishes artifical from natural honey. DHA photo

It is very hard to distinguish natural honey from artificial honey, according to Professor Hasan Kocaokutgen, Ondokuz Mayıs University academic.

The latest discussions on artificial honey have raised eyebrows among consumers. While the professor said it was very hard to distinguish between artificial and natural honey, much research has been done.

Kocaokutgen said, “It is not possible to recognize natural honey with a laser light.” That’s why it is possible to create 1 kilogram of artificial honey from one milliliter of honey aroma, according to Kocaokutgen.

“Honey prepared with chemicals is impossible to distinguish from natural [honey],” said Kocaokutgen.
Some people think they can recognize artificial honey by burning it. However it is not possible, said Kocaokutgen.

On the other hand, a group of student from Samsun Garip Zeycan Yıldırım High School entered the TÜBİTAK regional competition with their project titled “Breaking the Lights of Honey.”

The 24-person jury has chosen the project from among the candidates. Students will enter the competition, which will take place in Ankara, in May.

The project was made by Tuğçe Şahin, 16, and İlayda Ezgi Zengin, 16. Their teacher Turgay Tuncer is the consultant teacher.

Tuncer said: “A lot of glucose is found in artificial honey. That’s why light breaks a lot in artificial honey [and not natural honey].”

Project ranks second at TUBITAK event
“Our project ranked in second place at the TÜBİTAK competition. We put artificial and natural honey in different cases. We put a laser light on them. We also put a piece of paper and see how [the light] breaks.”

The team realized light breaks more in artificial honey.

According to this research, if light breaks more in one kind of honey, it is artificial, Tuncer said.

“Our gadget will help everyone to differentiate two honeys from each other,” said Zengin.