Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
There’s been an increase of manufacturers cutting honey with corn syrup or cane sugar. This week Alex takes to the lab and investigates the stable isotopes in 20 different honeys to see if they contain pure honey or have been adulterated.
Criminal Podcast: thisiscriminal.com/episode-281-big-fish-8-16-2024
Producers:
Andrew Sobey
Elaine Seward
Darren Weaver
Writer:
Alex Dainis, PhD
Host:
Alex Dainis, PhD
Executive Producer:
Matthew Radcliff
Scientific Consultants:
Bobby Nakamoto, PhD
Jennifer Cotton, PhD
Brianne Raccor, PhD
Michelle Boucher, PhD
Anne Hylden, MS
Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez
Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing
Assistant Director of Programming for PBS: John Campbell
Reactions is a production of the American Chemical Society.
© 2025 American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.
Sources:
mdpi.com/2304-8158/9/11/1538
theweek.com/culture-life/food-drink/the-sticky-issue-of-honey-fraud
sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0924224416302771
mt.com/gb/en/home/perm-lp/product-organizations/ana/brix-meters.html#:~:text=Brix%20is%20a%20measure%20of,in%20100%20grams%20of%20solution
sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0308814619305308#:~:text=The%20 sugars%20in%20 honey%20are,are%20given%20in%20Section%202.3
pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf102940s
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/330ee93f-c9fc-11ed-a05c-01aa75ed71a1/language-en
There’s been an increase of manufacturers cutting honey with corn syrup or cane sugar. This week Alex takes to the lab and investigates the stable isotopes in 20 different honeys to see if they contain pure honey or have been adulterated.
Criminal Podcast: thisiscriminal.com/episode-281-big-fish-8-16-2024
Producers:
Andrew Sobey
Elaine Seward
Darren Weaver
Writer:
Alex Dainis, PhD
Host:
Alex Dainis, PhD
Executive Producer:
Matthew Radcliff
Scientific Consultants:
Bobby Nakamoto, PhD
Jennifer Cotton, PhD
Brianne Raccor, PhD
Michelle Boucher, PhD
Anne Hylden, MS
Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez
Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing
Assistant Director of Programming for PBS: John Campbell
Reactions is a production of the American Chemical Society.
© 2025 American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.
Sources:
mdpi.com/2304-8158/9/11/1538
theweek.com/culture-life/food-drink/the-sticky-issue-of-honey-fraud
sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0924224416302771
mt.com/gb/en/home/perm-lp/product-organizations/ana/brix-meters.html#:~:text=Brix%20is%20a%20measure%20of,in%20100%20grams%20of%20solution
sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0308814619305308#:~:text=The%20 sugars%20in%20 honey%20are,are%20given%20in%20Section%202.3
pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf102940s
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/330ee93f-c9fc-11ed-a05c-01aa75ed71a1/language-en
