Honey

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For other uses, see Honey (disambiguation).
A jar of honey with a honey dipper and biscuits
Honey in honeycomb
Honey h ni is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. !he "ariety produced by
honey bees (the genus Apis) is the one most commonly referred to, as it is the type of honey
collected by most beekeepers and consumed by people. Honeys produced by other bees
(bumblebees, stingless bees) and other hymenoptera insects (e. g. honey wasps) ha"e different
properties, and they are not discussed in this article.
Honey bees transform nectar into honey by a process of regurgitation and e"aporation. !hey
store it as a primary food source in wa# honeycombs inside the beehi"e.
Honey gets its sweetness from the monosaccharides fructose and glucose, and has
appro#imately the same relati"e sweetness as granulated sugar.$%&$'& (t has attracti"e chemical
properties for baking and a distincti"e fla"or that leads some people to prefer it o"er sugar and
other sweeteners.$%& )ost microorganisms do not grow in honey because of its low water acti"ity
of *.+.$,& Howe"er, honey sometimes contains dormant endospores of the bacterium -lostridium
botulinum, which can be dangerous to infants, as the endospores can transform into to#in.
producing bacteria in infants/ immature intestinal tracts, leading to illness and e"en death.$0&
Honey has had a long history in human consumption, and is used in "arious foods and be"erages
as a sweetener and fla"oring. (t also has a role in religion and symbolism. Fla"ors of honey "ary
based on the nectar source, and "arious types and grades of honey are a"ailable. (t has also
been used in "arious medicinal traditions to treat ailments. !he study of pollens and spores in
honey (melissopalynology) can determine floral sources of honey.$1& 2ees carry an electrostatic
charge whereby they attract other particles in addition to pollen, which become incorporated into
their honey3 honey can be analysed by the techni4ue of melissopalynology, in the area of
en"ironmental studies of radioacti"e particles, dust and particulate pollution.$+&$5&
-ontents
% Formation
' 6hysical and chemical properties
'.% 6hase transitions
'.' 7iscosity
'., 8lectrical and optical properties
'.0 Hygroscopy and fermentation
'.1 !hermal characteristics
'.+ Acid content
, (n history, culture, and folklore
,.% Ancient times
,.' 9eligious significance
0 -ollecting honey
1 )odern uses
1.% As a food and in cooking
1.' As a fermentable
+ :utrition
5 Adulteration
; -lassification
;.% Floral source
;.%.% 2lended
;.%.' 6olyfloral
;.%., )onofloral
;.%.0 Honeydew honey
;.' -lassification by packaging and processing
< 6reser"ation
%* =istinguishing honey
%*.% Honey grading
%*.' (ndicators of 4uality
%% !raditional medicine
%' Health effects
%'.% Allergies
%'.' 2urns dressing
%'., -ancer
%'.0 -ough
%'.1 (mmune system
%'.+ (ngrown toenail
%'.5 >lcers
%, Health ha?ards
%,.% 2otulism
%,.' !o#ic honey
%,.'.% :ew @ealand
%0 Honey.producing and consuming countries
%1 Aallery of honey har"esting
%+ Bee also
%5 9eferences
%; 2ibliography
%< 8#ternal links
Formation
A honey bee on caly# of goldenrod
Honey/s natural sugars are dehydrated, which pre"ents fermentation, with added en?ymes to
modify and transform their chemical composition and pH. (n"ertases and digesti"e acids
hydroly?e sucrose to gi"e the monosaccharides glucose and fructose. (n"ertase is one of these
en?ymes synthesi?ed by the body of the insect.
Honey bees transform saccharides into honey by a process of regurgitation, a number of times,
until it is partially digested. !he bees do the regurgitation and digestion as a group. After the last
regurgitation, the a4ueous solution is still high in water, so the process continues by e"aporation
of much of the water and en?ymatic transformation.
Honey is produced by bees as a food source. !o produce a single jar of honey, foraging honey
bees ha"e to tra"el the e4ui"alent of three times around the world.$;& (n cold weather or when
fresh food sources are scarce, bees use their stored honey as their source of energy.$<& 2y
contri"ing for bee swarms to nest in artificial hi"es, people ha"e been able to semidomesticate
the insects, and har"est e#cess honey. (n the hi"e (or in a wild nest), there are three types of
beesC
a single female 4ueen bee
a seasonally "ariable number of male drone bees to fertili?e new 4ueens
some '*,*** to 0*,*** female worker bees.$%*&
!he worker bees raise lar"ae and collect the nectar that will become honey in the hi"e. Dea"ing
the hi"e, they collect sugar.rich flower nectar and return.
(n the hi"e, the bees use their Ehoney stomachsE to ingest and regurgitate the nectar a number of
times until it is partially digested.$%%& (n"ertase synthesi?ed by the bees and digesti"e acids
hydroly?e sucrose to gi"e the same mi#ture of glucose and fructose. !he bees work together as a
group with the regurgitation and digestion until the product reaches a desired 4uality. (t is then
stored in honeycomb cells. After the final regurgitation, the honeycomb is left unsealed. Howe"er,
the nectar is still high in both water content and natural yeasts, which, unchecked, would cause
the sugars in the nectar to ferment.$<& !he process continues as bees inside the hi"e fan their
wings, creating a strong draft across the honeycomb, which enhances e"aporation of much of the
water from the nectar.$<& !his reduction in water content raises the sugar concentration and
pre"ents fermentation. 9ipe honey, as remo"ed from the hi"e by a beekeeper, has a long shelf
life, and will not ferment if properly sealed.$<&
6hysical and chemical properties
-rystalli?ed honey. !he inset shows a close.up of the honey, showing the indi"idual glucose
grains in the fructose mi#ture.
!he physical properties of honey "ary, depending on water content, the type of flora used to
produce it (pasturage), temperature, and the proportion of the specific sugars it contains. Fresh
honey is a supersaturated li4uid, containing more sugar than the water can typically dissol"e at
ambient temperatures. At room temperature, honey is a supercooled li4uid, in which the glucose
will precipitate into solid granules. !his forms a semisolid solution of precipitated glucose crystals
in a solution of fructose and other ingredients.
6hase transitions
!he melting point of crystalli?ed honey is between 0* and 1* F- (%*0 and %'' FF), depending on
its composition. 2elow this temperature, honey can be either in a metastable state, meaning that
it will not crystalli?e until a seed crystal is added, or, more often, it is in a ElabileE state, being
saturated with enough sugars to crystalli?e spontaneously.$%'& !he rate of crystalli?ation is
affected by many factors, but the primary factor is the ratio of the main sugarsC fructose to
glucose. Honeys that are supersaturated with a "ery high percentage of glucose, such as
brassica honey, will crystalli?e almost immediately after har"esting, while honeys with a low
percentage of glucose, such as chestnut or tupelo honey, do not crystalli?e. Bome types of honey
may produce "ery large but few crystals, while others will produce many small crystals.$%,&
-rystalli?ation is also affected by water content, because a high percentage of water will inhibit
crystalli?ation, as will a high de#trin content. !emperature also affects the rate of crystalli?ation,
with the fastest growth occurring between %, and %5 F- (11 and +, FF). -rystal nuclei (seeds)
tend to form more readily if the honey is disturbed, by stirring, shaking or agitating, rather than if
left at rest. Howe"er, the nucleation of microscopic seed.crystals is greatest between 1 and ; F-
(0% and 0+ FF). !herefore, larger but fewer crystals tend to form at higher temperatures, while
smaller but more.numerous crystals usually form at lower temperatures. 2elow 1 F-, the honey
will not crystalli?e and, thus, the original te#ture and fla"or can be preser"ed indefinitely.$%,&
Bince honey normally e#ists below its melting point, it is a supercooled li4uid. At "ery low
temperatures, honey will not free?e solid. (nstead, as the temperatures become lower, the
"iscosity of honey increases. Dike most "iscous li4uids, the honey will become thick and sluggish
with decreasing temperature. At G'* F- (G0 FF), honey may appear or e"en feel solid, but it will
continue to flow at "ery low rates. Honey has a glass transition between G0' and G1% F- (G00
and G+* FF). 2elow this temperature, honey enters a glassy state and will become an amorphous
solid (noncrystalline).$%0&$%1&
7iscosity
!he "iscosity of honey is affected greatly by both temperature and water content. !he higher the
water percentage, the easier honey will flow. Abo"e its melting point, howe"er, water has little
effect on "iscosity. Aside from water content, the composition of honey also has little effect on
"iscosity, with the e#ception of a few types. At '1 F- (55 FF), honey with %0H water content will
generally ha"e a "iscosity of around 0** poise, while a honey containing '*H water will ha"e a
"iscosity of around '* poise. 7iscosity increase due to temperature occurs "ery slowly at first. A
honey containing %+H water, at 5* F- (%1; FF), will ha"e a "iscosity of around ' poise, while at ,*
F- (;+ FF), the "iscosity will be around 5* poise. As cooling progresses, honey will become more
"iscous at an increasingly rapid rate, reaching +** poise around %0 F- (15 FF). Howe"er, while
honey is "ery "iscous, it has rather low surface tension.$%+&$%5&
A few types of honey ha"e unusual "iscous properties. Honey from heather or manuka display
thi#otropic properties. !hese types of honey enter a gel.like state when motionless, but then
li4uify when stirred.$%;&
8lectrical and optical properties
Bince honey contains electrolytes, in the form of acids and minerals, it e#hibits "arying degrees of
electrical conducti"ity. )easurements of the electrical conducti"ity are used to determine the
4uality of honey in terms of ash content.$%5&
!he effect honey has on light is useful for determining the type and 4uality. 7ariations in the water
content alter the refracti"e inde# of honey. Water content can easily be measured with a
refractometer. !ypically, the refracti"e inde# for honey will range from %.1*0 at %,H water content
to %.050 at '1H. Honey also has an effect on polari?ed light, in that it will rotate the polari?ation
plane. !he fructose will gi"e a negati"e rotation, while the glucose will gi"e a positi"e one. !he
o"erall rotation can be used to measure the ratio of the mi#ture.$%5&$%<&
Hygroscopy and fermentation
Honey has the ability to absorb moisture directly from the air, a phenomenon called hygroscopy.
!he amount of water the honey will absorb is dependent on the relati"e humidity of the air.
2ecause honey contains yeast, this hygroscopic nature re4uires that honey be stored in sealed
containers to pre"ent fermentation, which usually begins if the honey/s water content rises much
abo"e '1H. Honey will tend to absorb more water in this manner than the indi"idual sugars would
allow on their own, which may be due to other ingredients it contains.$%<&