Manley-Harris, MerilynWinship, Simon2023-11-132023https://hdl.handle.net/10289/16130Honey is predominantly sugar and water. Enzymes, minerals and bioactive compounds such as phenolics are present in small quantities. These components give each variety a unique composition, often representative of its floral origin and geographic location. Chatham Island (Rēkohu/Wharekauri) and neighbouring Pitt Island (Rangiauria/Rangiaotea), collectively known as the Chatham Islands (Rēkohu), are home to native plants which are not found anywhere else in the world. This provides an untapped resource for unique honey types, which may have important chemical and bioactive properties yet to be discovered. This investigation determined the various properties of honey produced from Rēkohu, including sugars, phenolic compounds, bioactivity, residues detection (tutin and glyphosate), elemental composition, quality parameters, pollen, and physicochemical properties such as colour, moisture, pH and conductivity. This research was intended to profile Chatham Islands honey to support the growing apiculture industry on the islands. Rēkohu honey was found to be similar to some mainland New Zealand honey varieties in its physicochemical parameters and carbohydrate composition. The pollen analysis and elemental profiling showed unique aspects of Rēkohu honey, useful for its floral and geographic characterisation. C4 adulteration, HMF, glyphosate and tutin were below the maximum limits required for export, while diastase activity was above the minimum limit. It was demonstrated that Rēkohu honeys have only low or zero levels of MGO and DHA since bees do not have access to mānuka. Total phenolics, antioxidant capacity and total antibacterial activity were higher compared to mainland clover honey but lower than mānuka honey.enAll items in Research Commons are provided for private study and research purposes and are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated.honeyChatham Islandsanalytical chemistryThesis2023-11-10