Sucrose is a disaccharide naturally present in small quantities in ripe honey, and elevated levels can indicate unripe honey, sugar feeding of bees or adulteration, making it a regulated quality parameter under EU honey law.
In trade practice
Laboratories measure sucrose content by HPLC or enzymatic methods and report the result on the certificate of analysis. The EU Honey Directive sets maximum sucrose limits for most honey types, with specific higher allowances for certain botanical origins such as false acacia and lavender. Buyers should verify that the declared botanical origin justifies any elevated sucrose reading, as a high result in a standard multifloral honey is a clear adulteration flag. Sugar profile analysis, including sucrose alongside fructose, glucose and higher sugars, forms part of standard authenticity testing.
In a specification
A honey specification should reference the sucrose limits established in the EU Honey Directive and, where a botanical origin with a higher permitted level is claimed, require supporting melissopalynological evidence.