Glossary.

Removal of devitalised tissue by the body's own enzymes, accelerated by honey's high osmolarity drawing fluid into the wound bed.

Antimicrobial peptide secreted by honey bees into honey, contributing to peroxide-independent activity (notably in non-Manuka medical honeys such as Revamil).

Communities of bacteria embedded in self-produced extracellular polymers, highly tolerant to antibiotics and host defences. Manuka honey disperses many wound biofilms.

European conformity mark required for medical devices placed on the EU market under the Medical Device Regulation (MDR).

Dihydroxyacetone — the nectar precursor that converts to MGO during honey ripening.

Regulation (EU) 2017/745 — the Medical Device Regulation governing classification, conformity assessment and post-market surveillance of medical devices in the EU.

US premarket notification establishing substantial equivalence to a legally marketed predicate device. Most Manuka wound dressings are cleared as Class II under this pathway.

Bacterial cell-division protein. Manuka honey disrupts FtsZ ring assembly in S. aureus, halting division.

Sterilisation by cobalt-60 gamma radiation at validated dose (typically 25 kGy per ISO 11137) — the standard sterilisation method for medical-grade honey, retaining bioactivity.

Series governing biological evaluation of medical devices — cytotoxicity, sensitisation, irritation, etc.

International standard for Quality Management Systems specific to medical-device manufacturers.

A blue-fluorescing pterin found in Manuka honey, used as a heat- and light-stable authenticity marker.

Methyl syringate-4-O-β-D-gentiobiose — an authenticity marker unique to Leptospermum honeys, used in MPI's NZ Manuka definition.

Manuka tree, a Myrtaceae species native to New Zealand and southeast Australia. Its nectar's high DHA content underlies medical-grade Manuka honey.

MedicalGradeHoney — shorthand mark used across this site for the regulated category of honey processed to medical-device grade.

MGH™ covers any honey (Manuka, Revamil/Bfactor, polyphenol-rich pasture blends and others) that has been characterised, sterilised — typically gamma irradiation to a 10⁻⁶ SAL — and manufactured under ISO 13485 as the active in a CE / FDA / TGA-registered wound-care device. It is a regulatory category, not a single botanical.

Methylglyoxal — the principal non-peroxide antibacterial in Manuka honey, measured in mg/kg.

Formed non-enzymatically from dihydroxyacetone (DHA) in Leptospermum nectar during honey maturation. Medical grade typically requires MGO ≥ 250.

Honey derived predominantly (typically ≥70%) from a single botanical source — for Manuka, Leptospermum scoparium.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus — a key target for medical-grade Manuka, including in re-sensitisation studies.

Non-Peroxide Activity — antibacterial activity that remains after catalase neutralises hydrogen peroxide; expressed as % phenol w/v equivalent.