A typo it was the WHO that has reduced the levels of HMF permitted.
Far from a sales pitch I asked several companies that produce bakers fondant and bee feeds to comment specifically HMF in there products, only one came back with a detailed response and I posted that, they make bot bakers fondant and a product designed for bees. The first has high levels of HMF a proven toxin.
The only other company to respond was a UK company whose product I see being sold as bee feed that is labelled bakers fondant, they said they do not measure HMF as the don’t need to for bakers fondant.
No one is suggesting bakers fondant is solely responsible for killing large numbers of bees, it is probably a contributory factor based on even the notes you have quoted you must admit there is concerns.
Aah! The W.H.O. Yes. I think perhaps the material you are talking about is contained in the study
5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) levels in honey and other food products: effects on bees and human health by Shapla et al. Shapla cites S Krainer's study too.
Whilst Shapla et al provides some useful information it to ends up being inconclusive “the authors (Krainer et al) concluded that HMF used as a supplement in food does compromise colony fitness but
may not cause great losses of brood. It is
hypothesized that HMF causes bees to experience dysentery-like symptoms and ulcers in the gastrointestinal intestinal tract [18], leading to their death.”
And Shapla et al “As a constituent of processed foods,
HMF has both profoundly adverse and beneficial effects on human and bee health. Some effects of HMF on human health and its carcinogenic as well as anti-carcinogenic properties remain inconclusive, with many studies conducted only at preclinical levels.”
HMF effects on honey bee and human health
A slightly more up-to-date study
Hydroxymethylfurfural Affects Caged Honey Bees (Apis mellifera carnica) Prof. A Gregorc et al.
Abstract
“A high concentration of hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) (e.g., 15 mg HMF per kg honey) indicates quality deterioration for a wide range of foods. In honey bee colonies, HMF in stored honey can negatively affect bee health and survival. Therefore, in the laboratory, we experimentally determined the effects of HMF on the longevity and midgut integrity of worker
Apis mellifera carnica by feeding bees standard diets containing five concentrations of HMF (100, 500, 1000, and 1500 ppm). Simultaneously, we also examined HMF’s effect on
Nosema ceranae spore counts within infected honey bees. We performed an immunohistochemical analysis of the honey bee midgut to determine possible changes at the cellular level. No correlation was established between HMF concentration and
N. ceranae spore counts. Negative effects of HMF on bees were not observed in the first 15 days of exposure. However, after 15 to 30 days of exposure, HMF caused midgut cells to die and an increased mortality of honey bee workers across treatment groups”.
The study concludes “clearly HMF has a dosage-dependent cytotoxic effect on honey bee digestion; both sublethal and subclinical changes to the midgut occur at the cellular level before bees eventually die from high doses.
Adverse effects of HMF feeding needs study at the colony level because bees may rely on unknown behavioral mechanisms to mitigate the toxic effects of HMF-contaminated food stores on bee and brood survival.”
