The presentation made by Balparmak Analytical R&D Manager Dr. İsmail Emir Akyıldız left behind 24 presentations from 54 countries and received the “Best Oral Presentation on Propolis” award. Balparmak Board Chairman Özen Altıparmak was deemed worthy of the “Honorary Award” for his international contributions to the sector.

The interest in bee products is increasing all over the world. Dozens of studies are being conducted and scientific articles are being published to understand the benefits of the miraculous products of bees, honey, propolis, royal jelly and pollen. The third International Propolis Conference, organized every two years under the leadership of the International Propolis Research Group to closely follow all developments in the world regarding propolis, one of the valuable products produced by bees, was held in Istanbul in 2023, hosted by Balparmak. This year's leg of the conference was held in Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo, Brazil. At the conference organized under the title of "Immunity, Community, Sustainability", scientists from 24 countries had the opportunity to present their research on propolis.

Balparmak, representing Turkey, left its mark on the conference where the characteristic features, marker components, effects on the immune system and antitumor and antimicrobial properties of propolis obtained from different countries were revealed. Dr. Emel Damarlı, Balparmak R&D and Quality Director, attended the conference and Analytical R&D Manager Dr. İsmail Emir Akyıldız presented the research titled “Determination of chemical fingerprints of propolis samples from different botanical origins with untargeted metabolomics approaches”, while Laboratory Technical Manager Dr. Ufuk Alpat presented the study titled “Current developments in propolis extraction and processing”. A total of 24 scientific presentations from 54 countries were made at the conference and the presentation made by Dr. İsmail Emir Akyıldız was presented by the University of Sao Paolo, Brazil, which has the most scientific publications on propolis in the world, “Best Oral Presentation on Propolis" award was deemed worthy.

Dr. Emel Damarlı: “We Have Been Working to Explain the Benefits of Honey and Bee Products for 45 Years” 

The conference also included: Ozen Altiparmak, Chairman of the Board of Balparmak, for his international contributions to the sector “Honorary Award” what was deemed worthy. Receiving the award on behalf of Altıparmak, Balparmak R&D and Quality Director Dr. Emel Damarlı drew attention to the importance of scientific studies and emphasized that working together is necessary for a more sustainable future. Damarlı emphasized that Balparmak, which is the leading honey brand in Turkey and also the pioneer of the bee products sector in the international arena, has been working to bring natural bee products to tables for 45 years and that they carry out important studies for the sustainability of bees and beekeeping. Damarlı, who mentioned that bees have many value-added products in addition to honey, noted that propolis has a very special place among these products. Stating that they are especially proud to support research on propolis, Damarlı said, “Propolis is one of the most valuable gifts that nature offers to human health. We are mobilizing all our knowledge and technology to protect, develop and make this heritage sustainable.”

Propolis Usage Is Increasing!

Balparmak R&D and Quality Director Dr. Emel Damarlı stated that the antiviral and antibacterial effects of propolis have been scientifically proven, and emphasized that its use has increased by 50 percent in the last five years. Balparmak's good life brand Apitera has enriched its propolis throat sprays developed for adults and children with thyme, black cumin, sage, lemon and mint oil. Apitera Propolis Children's Spray was developed in cooperation with Balparmak R&D Center and TÜBİTAK MAM in accordance with children's taste sensitivity.

Damarlı concluded his speech by expressing his gratitude to the International Scientific Board for deeming the Balparmak R&D Center worthy of the award for its work.

Source: HORECA TREND and Balparmak

Scientists, beekeepers' associations, authorities and public institutions who participated in the 8th International Muğla Beekeeping and Pine Honey Congress, which was held with the participation of Turkey's leading honey brand Balparmak, shared the studies and developments in the bee products sector with the entire world beekeeping sector.

Balparmak R&D Center managers, who made two important scientific presentations at the congress, aim to increase Turkey's honey exports with the new analysis methods they developed. Balparmak, which is preparing to celebrate its 45th anniversary next year, has changed Europe's perspective on Turkish pine honey with its new C4 analysis method developed in four years of work at its R&D center. The new C10 analysis method developed by the brand, which has invested over 4 million dollars in its R&D center to date, based on the fact that pine honey, which is a secretion honey, cannot be examined with the flower honey analysis method, has been published in internationally refereed journals and accepted by laboratories around the world. This method, which is an important tool in the fight against imitation and adulteration in honey, has the potential to increase Turkey's pine honey exports by approximately 30 percent. The new C4 analysis method, developed with investments in R&D and intensive studies, has been included in the TSE standards and has been made official, opening the doors to a new era in our country's pine honey exports.

Balparmak Board Chairman Özen Altıparmak, who predicted that Turkey’s honey exports would increase by approximately 30 percent thanks to this method, said, “95 percent of the world’s pine honey production is produced by the Anatolian Honey Bee living in the red pine forests in Turkey. Pine honey is a type of secretion honey and requires a special analysis method. In international trade, all food products are subject to analysis at customs. In European laboratories, however, ‘flower honey’ analysis was used for pine honey. Due to this method difference applied by Europe, pine honey exports from Turkey were being returned from customs. Thanks to our investment in our R&D and our intensive scientific studies that lasted 4 years, we developed this new C4 analysis method specific to pine honey and paved the way for our country’s pine honey exports.”

Balparmak R&D Center is one of the 4 equivalent laboratories in Europe.

Stating that Turkey has a share of approximately 90 percent in honey exports to Europe, Altıparmak said, “As Balparmak, we have invested over 10 million dollars in our R&D center. We are the first R&D center in Turkey in the field of honey and other bee products and the eighth R&D center accredited by TÜRKAK in the field of food. In fact, there is no other center that is as advanced as this among honey packaging companies in the world. We have a team of 20 people, most of whom have doctorates and masters degrees. This center is also one of the four equivalent laboratories in Europe that rank first.”

The Biggest Problem of the Industry: Fraudulent Honey in the Market

Özen Altıparmak, who stated that they aim to create added value in exports, said, “We are structuring our exports in a way that will grow our own brand instead of contract manufacturing and we aim to increase its share in turnover to 15 percent.” “The biggest problem our sector is experiencing is fraudulent products that we describe as imitation and adulteration in the market and sold as honey. Today, honey-like products are sold for 70-80 liras per kilo. Even the price of natural honey from the beekeeper is much higher than this figure,” said Altıparmak, and continued, “As packaging companies, we are developing our analysis techniques to catch frauds. As Balparmak, we share the information we have with sector stakeholders, our ministries and world laboratories.” 

All Cheats Are Detected in 25 Minutes with the New Device

Özen Altıparmak, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Balparmak, which continues its R&D investments for the development of the sector and the protection of consumers, continued his words as follows: ''With a new device that we brought to our laboratory in 2022, we can detect all the fraudulent elements in fraudulent products that are very similar to honey in 25 minutes. analysis Thanks to our advanced R&D investments and expertise, we can analyze a product in 833 different parameters. The new analysis methods we develop are published in peer-reviewed journals and laboratories around the world use these methods. This is a very important development for both our sector and our country. According to Euromonitor data, we are one of the top 10 honey packaging companies in the world. This gives us responsibility for the development of the sector and the protection of consumers.''

There are 4 Million Beehives in Turkey, Real Honey Yield is Around 60-70 Thousand Tons

Noting that there has been a 20 percent decrease in yield in pine honey due to forest fires in recent years, Altıparmak said, “According to Nielsen data and my experience in the sector, there are 4 million beehives with bees in Turkey. I estimate that the real honey yield is around 15-60 thousand tons with an average productivity of 70 kilograms per hive. The average age of beekeepers in Turkey has reached 55. Young people and women should be brought into the sector. We have been working for this since 2015. Under the roof of Balparmak Beekeeping Academy, we provide training that supports the production of higher quality and more efficient bee products. Our Beekeeping Academy will undertake beautiful projects again in 2025. One of the most important steps for the rejuvenation and sustainability of the beekeeping profession is to bring women and young people into the profession. For this reason, we support women and young people’s participation in the sector by making positive discrimination against them.”

“We Believe in Transparency, Our Balparmak Campus is Open to Everyone”

Altıparmak, who said that they had to reject approximately 44 percent of the preliminary samples that came to the Balparmak Campus, which is built on an area of ​​40 thousand square meters in Çekmeköy, Istanbul, as a result of the naturalness tests conducted, said, “We have to look at the entirety of each batch of product that comes in order to reach natural honey. I value transparency. We see our competitors as colleagues. I express at every opportunity that we are ready to share all our knowledge. Because as Balparmak, we cannot fix the sector alone, all stakeholders need to have the same level of knowledge so that we can fight against counterfeiters in the market together. Our Balparmak campus is open to everyone, we are waiting for everyone who wants to see our campus, from consumers to industrialists.”

Source: HORECA TREND and Balparmak

Bees are creatures of critical importance for the continuation of the human race. It is accepted that bees have been on earth for 100 million years. The history of humanity is only 300 thousand years. One in every three foods that come to our table is produced by bees; 3 percent of food is obtained from 90 different plant species. 82 of these 82 species are pollinated by bees and their seeds are dispersed into the environment. While negative factors such as climate change, incorrect, unconscious and uncontrolled agricultural pesticide application, and polluted water resources reduce the bee population, they also deprive us of bee products, which are a very valuable food source. However, honey is one of the rare foods in the world that can remain intact for many years, preserving its value…

To emphasize the importance of bees and raise awareness on this issue, May 20 is celebrated as "World Bee Day" every year around the world. Turkey's number one honey brand, which has been making efforts to develop bees and beekeeping for nearly half a century. Balparmak's Chairman of the Board Özen Altıparmak also drew attention to this issue on World Bee Day. Altiparmak, “A honey bee can fly from its hive over an area of ​​80 km² to collect pollen and nectar. Therefore, adverse environmental conditions and uncontrolled spraying of agricultural areas have a significant impact on the bee population and the quality of bee products. "Serious measures need to be taken for the sustainability of nature," he said.

The Use of Nature-Friendly, Ecological Agricultural Pesticides Should Be Encouraged

Pointing out that urgent measures should be taken to protect the existence of bees, Altıparmak stated that farmers can be encouraged to use good pesticides and to apply pesticides at night when bees will not fly. Emphasizing the importance of public authorities increasing inspections on this issue, Altıparmak said, “Unfortunately, pesticides that have serious effects on the ecosystem are widely used in our country. This is why it is very important to support and increase producers who do not use drugs containing toxic chemicals and produce ecologically compatible products. "Relevant institutions and decision-makers should quickly implement sanctions on this issue in our country, focus on inspection and awareness-raising activities, and encourage ecological, nature-friendly and sustainable methods," he said.

Happy Bee Day, the World's Most Ancient Workers!

Emphasizing that bees are one of the oldest inhabitants of the earth, Altıparmak said: “We cannot thank bees enough, whose existence in the world dates back to before human beings and who literally "turn around" the world... With the right steps we will take to protect bees, not only them; It is possible to create better conditions for the future of the whole world! Because without bees, there would be no pollination, no plants, no animals, and eventually no humans. Bees, producers of one of the most delicious natural foods in the world, are among the most intriguing creatures in the living world with their extraordinary life cycles and colony structures. These tiny creatures make a significant contribution to the sustainability of nature throughout their life cycle. There are still many steps to be taken to explain the role of the bee population on our planet to all generations. "World Bee Day celebrations, which have been held worldwide every year since 2017, are among the most comprehensive steps ever taken to raise awareness about the relationship between bees and ecosystems."

Beekeeping Profession is Aging Due to Fraudulent Honey!

Noting that beekeepers have difficulty in coping with unfair competition due to fraudulent honey sold in the market, Altıparmak said, “We have been working for the protection of the existence of bees and the development of the beekeeping profession for nearly half a century. Due to the fraud in honey, not only the consumers but also the veteran beekeepers, who do their job with sweat, are harmed. Türkiye is among the top ten countries in the world in terms of bee population. Beekeeping, together with its by-products, provides a wide range of employment opportunities in our country. It is very important that beekeeping is passed on from father to children and that the family earns a living from beekeeping. Added to this rather arduous profession is the problem of imitation and adulteration that needs to be combated. Our beekeepers, who do their job properly, are trying to compete with fraudulent honey sold in the market. As the profitability of this already challenging profession begins to decrease due to this tiring struggle, beekeeping is no longer preferred by young families, meaning the beekeeping profession is getting old. We saw this risk and launched the Balparmak Beekeeping Academy in 2018 and undertook the mission of bringing women and young beekeepers into the profession. We aimed to introduce women and young people in rural development regions to beekeeping and to support the sustainability of the beekeeping profession. To date, we have managed to reach 700 women and young people with face-to-face training and more than 700 women and young people with online training. In our trainings, we try to correct 'misconceptions' in order to increase efficiency and quality in beekeeping through modern beekeeping techniques training, as well as to produce value-added bee products more efficiently and with higher quality. "Thanks to our training, we aim to encourage the beekeeping profession to young generations and increase household incomes," he said.

The Food Product Most Exposed to Fraud is Honey

Altıparmak emphasized that, according to the research conducted by EFSA, they fought hard to obtain the natural version of honey, which is one of the food products most exposed to adulteration, and to preserve its naturalness until it is presented to the tables, and that they made a first in the world in analyzing imitation and adulteration, that is, cheating, in honey. he stated. Stating that he sees food safety as the basic element of branding, Altıparmak continued his words as follows: “In our country, we are struggling with honey sold openly or products with lack of control being on the shelves. Thanks to the technological investments we have made in our Balparmak R&D Center and our expert academic staff from different disciplines, we can detect all kinds of products recorded as adulterated honey, obtained from sugar syrups such as corn, beet, rice and agave, and sold as honey. In addition, we can detect the presence of food dyes and enzyme additives added to the adulterated honey obtained from these syrups in order to give the perception of real honey, in a highly accurate and sensitive format. "We are fighting this fight to both protect the consumer and the labor of the beekeeper, who does his job properly and with sweat," he said.

How Was World Bee Day Born?

World Bee Day is a special time period that is celebrated with various events to draw attention to the importance of the bond between bees and life. World Bee Day, declared by the United Nations (UN), is celebrated in May, when summer approaches and bee populations flock to nature. World Bee Day celebrations are held on May 20 every year. The main reason for declaring this date as World Bee Day is that it is the birthday of Slovenian Apiarist Anton Janša, known as the father of modern beekeeping. The UN Sustainable Development Goals, which are aimed to be achieved by the end of 2030, play an important role in celebrating this as a special day. This universal call to action invites all countries to take action to protect the ecosystem and biodiversity. Celebrating May 20 as World Bee Day; It was accepted unanimously at the UN General Assembly meeting held on 20 December 2017. Considering that bee and human life have a close bond in all areas, the draft resolution presented at the Board received great support with the joint participation of 115 countries. World Bee Day on May 2021, celebrated for the fourth time in 20, continues to be celebrated with larger organizations every year in almost all countries. While bees move from flower to flower to obtain their food, they also mediate pollination in plants. In fact, it plays the most critical role in the continuity of the ecosystem by providing the majority of pollen exchange on earth. All these activities of bees enable the production of 70 percent of the foods most frequently consumed by humans. This means that we owe almost every meal we consume to bees. It is estimated that if bees disappear, there will be a reduction in pollination of plants by up to 80 percent. This shows that many members of the flora, especially flowering plants (fruits, vegetables, etc.), will quickly become extinct. When plant species become so extinct, it seems inevitable that there will be major negative changes in human life as well as natural life on earth. In short; When viewed from this perspective, the word bee means both "purity" and "life"!

How Can We Protect Bees?

• The use of pesticides in homes and gardens should be reduced.
• Unplanned urbanization should be prevented and natural areas should be protected.
• Pesticide spraying should be reduced in agriculture and good agricultural practices should be disseminated.
• Strategic measures should be taken across the country against climate change.
• Programs and events should be organized in order to establish nature awareness in new generations.
• More incentives should be created for beekeeping activities.
• Planting of flowering plants that bees can benefit from should be expanded in gardens and balconies of property, as well as in agricultural and landscape areas.

In order to overcome the fear of bees in society, the public should be made more aware of the defense mechanism of bees.

About Balparmak

Balparmak, which differentiates itself with the quality standard it offers to its consumers and works with the mission of preserving the naturalness and purity of honey and bee products and raising them to the highest value they deserve, assumes the leadership of the sector in this sense. Working according to international standards on food safety, Balparmak also has international food safety systems certificates such as FSSC 22000 (FoodSafetySystemCertification) and BRCGS (British RetailConsortium Global Standards). Balparmak, which has Turkey's first R&D Center in the field of honey and other bee products and the 8th in the field of food; Thanks to the Honey and Other Bee Products Research and Quality Control Laboratory accredited by TÜRKAK, it analyzes the products it offers to its consumers in at least 100 parameters.

Source: HORECA Trend and Balparmak