Food Sensing
Ensuring Honey Purity: Electrochemical Techniques for Detecting Sugar Adulteration
By Saikat Ghosh — June 17, 2025

Pure honey is a bioactive food, rich in antioxidants, enzymes, and natural antimicrobials that support immunity, digestion, and wound healing—especially beneficial for children and elderly. However, adulteration with glucose syrup, rice sugar, or starch compromises nutritional integrity, causing metabolic disruption, allergic reactions, and long-term toxicological effects.
Adulteration in honey alters its physicochemical properties. Modern electrochemical techniques, like Screen-Printed Electrodes (SPEs), detect sugar-based contaminants by analyzing oxidation peaks, pH shifts, or conductivity. These rapid, non-invasive tests promote responsible consumption, empowering individuals to choose genuine, unadulterated honey for optimal health outcomes.
Alphaion develops eco-friendly, field-deployable SPE sensors enhanced with nanomaterials for precise adulteration detection. Their scalable platforms integrate with mobile and industrial systems—ensuring real-time quality validation from honey production lines to consumer shelves, bridging scientific accuracy with everyday food safety needs.