All About Honey
Honey bees are the only insects that produce a food consumed by humans. Honey is produced in one of the busiest yet most efficient factories in the world—the beehive.
Worker bees travel from blossom to blossom in search of nectar. Then the worker bees fill the six-sided wax cells of honeycomb with nectar to feed themselves and the rest of the hive. The bees usually produce a surplus of honey (up to 80 pounds) which beekeepers harvest from late spring to early fall depending on location and honey flows.
Honey can take many forms and colors and flavors! Liquid Honey—the preferred kind in the U.S.– is extracted from the comb in the hive by centrifugal force, gravity, or straining. The honey is strained and either jarred to be sold locally or placed in a 55-gallon drum and shipped to a honey packer.
Whipped Honey is finely crystallized. It is creamy and spreadable. This kind is popular all over the globe. Comb honey is honey that comes as it was produced—in the honey bees’ wax comb.
The color and flavor of honeys differ depending on what blossoms the bees visit in search of nectar. Honey color ranges from almost colorless to dark amber brown, and its flavor can range from mild and subtle to richly bold and distinctive.
In the U.S., there are more than 300 unique types of honey produced, each originating from a different floral sources. Common honey floral sources include alfalfa, avocado, basswood, buckwheat, clover, eucalyptus, fireweed, orange blossom, safflower, tulip poplar, and tupelo.
Honey is a rich source of carbohydrates—mainly fructose (approx. 38.5 %) and glucose (approx. 31.0%). The remaining carbohydrates include maltose, sucrose and other complex carbohydrates. Honey, on average, has 17.1 percent water.
Honey also contains a wide array of vitamins, such as vitamin B6, Thiamin, Niacin, Riboflavin and Pantothenic Acid. Essential minerals such as Calcium, Iron, Phosphorus, and Zinc can be found along with amino acids inside honey.
In addition to the minerals and carbohydrates, honey has antioxidants—compounds that help delay the oxidative damage to cells or tissues in our bodies. These antioxidant compounds include Chrysin, Pinobanksin, Vitamin C, Catalase and Pinocembrin.
Honey is one of nature’s most versatile products.
All over the world, honey is enjoyed for its sweet flavor, Honey is commonly used as a spread for breads, from flaky biscuits to nutty whole-grain muffins. It is spooned into teas and drizzled into smoothies. Honey also is used in a range of manufactured products from barbecue sauces to honey beers.
In addition to its diverse culinary applications, honey is also used for energy. Research has shown that honey is a great pre-workout energy source, aiding an athlete’s endurance and helping the athlete’s muscles recuperate following a race or workout.
Honey has also been valued as medicine. Science has confirmed that honey is an effective antimicrobial agent and thus is effective in dressing wounds and burns. Antimicrobial agents inhibit the growth of certain bacteria, yeast and molds. Honey is antimicrobial due to its high sugar content, high acidity, and the presence (in low doses) of hydrogen peroxide. When honey is used to treat minor skin injuries, honey promotes heling, prevents scarring, and keeps the wound itself from adhering to the bandage.
In addition to using honey to dress wounds, many people use honey to soothe a cough or sore throat. Because of its antimicrobial properties, honey also has been used in beauty products.
For more information go to http://www.honey.com/nhb/benefits/.
Text courtesy of the National Honey Board
