Methylglyoxal

Methylglyoxal is a small, elegant molecule produced naturally in the body as part of everyday metabolism. The same compound also turns up in mānuka honey, where it is believed to be the source of the honey's well-known antibacterial properties. So central is methylglyoxal to the identity of mānuka that the Australian Manuka Honey Association requires a minimum natural concentration of it before a product can be sold as authentic.

In this ring, the simplicity of the molecule is held in its purest form, just a few atoms arranged with quiet precision. A small structure that has earned an outsized place in both biology and the honey jar.