Debunking Misconceptions About Honey

Honey… What’s in a name? May we say that which we call honey, by any other name would taste as sweet? It sure will! It will taste sweet. But not all honey is created equal.

Where is it coming from? Honey comes from honey bees who have been around for millions of years. They are the only insects who not only sustain themselves by producing food for the colony and themselves but also make enough for people to enjoy.

A busy worker bee may visit 2,000 flowers per day and during her lifetime that lasts for 35 days as we know it, produces about 1/12th of a teaspoon (0.8 g) of honey. It takes 2 million flower visits for a honeybee colony to produce one pound (500g) of honey.

Every delicious drop of liquid gold is placed in a cell and capped for storage.

What is honey? Honey is a supersaturated solution of glucose and fructose dissolved in water with a mix of amino acids, vitamins, minerals, iron, zinc, and antioxidants made by honeybees from the nectar of flowering plants they pollinate.

There are two categories of honey: monofloral and polyfloral. Monofloral honey comes from the nectar of one type of flowering plant like clover, linden, manuka, orange blossom, etc. Polyfloral honey comes from the nectar from many different flowering plants growing in the area.

Honey comes in different colors ranging from almost transparent to very dark. The varying colors, viscosities and flavor are directly related to the nectar and pollen that bees forage.

A natural sweetener, honey has anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and probiotic properties. If stored and handled correctly, it never spoils.

Bees are responsible for the quality of honey as long as it stays in the comb. Once people get involved, things change. The definition of “raw”, “pure”, “infused”, “processed”, “adulterated” and “artificial” honey reflects the level of human involvement in quality and nutritional value of what we call “honey” once it’s extracted from the comb.

Raw honey is as close to the beehive as you can get. It is only strained before it’s bottled. That helps retain most of the beneficial nutrients and antioxidants such as flavonoids, phenolic compounds and phytonutrients. It naturally contains approximately 22 amino acids, 31 assorted vitamins and minerals and nearly 30 different kinds of bioactive plant compounds. These valuable nutrients are unique to raw honey. In addition to nutritional compounds and enzymes, it has the highest amount of pollen which makes honey taste like whatever flowers were used to make it. Raw honey preserves its flavors by maintaining the integrity of pollen. High pollen count helps trace the origin of honey.

Pure honey is honey that has been filtered and pasteurized to kill any yeast that might be found in the honey to prevent from fermenting. Pasteurized honey contains a lower number of enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids as compared to raw honey and is resistant to crystallizing.

Infused honey is raw or pure honey that has been mixed with other ingredients such as herbs, spices, flowers, fruits or vegetables to create a unique flavor. Once additional herbs are infused with this product, the taste and color of that initial honey can completely change.

Processed honey is the one that has been filtered at least once if not twice, heated and pasteurized to improve its appearance, shelf life and consistency. This process, however, breaks down the pollen and nutrients that give honey its unique flavor and health benefits and may have added sweeteners such as high fructose corn syrup or sugar.

Adulterated honey is any honey to which products, other than the nectar from flowers of plants gathered and stored in the comb by honey bees has been added. For example, to increase production of honey some dishonest beekeepers feed bees with syrup which they turn into honey. Don’t expect that this fact will be stated on the label. The nutritional and medicinal value of that honey is low, even though as a sweetener it serves its purpose well.

Artificial honey is a honey-like product that has been modified with flavors, fillers, dyes, and sugar. It may not have any bee honey at all. It is manufactured of a mix of glucose syrups, inverted sugar solutions or corn, cane or beet syrup.

Over a period of time honey hardens or crystallizes. It’s a natural process which is caused by a number of factors. One of them is the sugar to water ratio. As water evaporates over time, the glucose molecules lock together and crystallize. Another factor is the ratio of fructose and glucose in the nectar, which in turn affects how the honey crystallizes. The type of flower the bees land on to make honey affects that ratio. With differing blends some honey will begin crystallizing faster, others take time. Acacia honey, for example, naturally does not crystallize due to a higher fructose to glucose ratio. Pollen in raw honey contributes to crystallization as well. Commercially processed honey crystallizes more slowly than raw honey because the process removes pollen and destroys some enzymes and yeast.

Crystallized honey is safe to eat and can be used in many ways, such as in toast, oatmeal, salads, and baked dishes.

What is the difference between local honey and the one from far away? Local honey comes from a specific area, like a town or county within a 25–50-mile radius of where someone lives. Some say that raw unfiltered, and unprocessed local honey has more nutrients than honey from far away. It is believed that local honey that contains pollen from local flowering plants, may help with allergy symptoms. Local honey comes in different colors and flavors based on the plants honeybees pollinate and the time of the harvest. Thus, in Kew Gardens Hills, for example, the end of May honey looks, smells and tastes differently than honey harvested in the middle of the summer. At the end of the summer season, honey comes out darker in color and thicker with a unique flavor.

If you’ve ever wanted to know the best way to taste honey in order to understand all of the nuances of it, here’s what Che, the Head Harvester at Best Bees recommends:

• First, pause before you taste the honey and cleanse your palette with water or green apple.
• Think about what season you’re in right now. Is it fall time, where you might expect darker honey, or spring where the honey might be looser and light in flavor?
• As you taste the honey, be sure to inhale and breathe. Once you take that in, you’ll notice the flavor, which is the high note: is it sweet, tart, earthy, or something else entirely?
• Then, you’ll want to identify the mid-note, which is the texture of the honey. How is this honey sitting in your mouth? How would you describe the texture that this honey has?
• Lastly, you’ll identify the low notes, which can be done after you’ve swallowed the honey. Pause for a few seconds to see if there are any flavors that linger.

Once you try and think about the layers of honey (taste, color, texture), you’re able to appreciate how incredible this product made by honeybees truly is.

While honey has tremendous health benefits, as a natural sweetener it is still high in sugar and should be consumed in moderation. The glycemic index (GI) of honey is generally between 50 and 60. This is lower than the GI of the sugar, which is usually between 60 and 65. Raw honey has a slightly lower GI than processed honey.

Raw honey is the most beneficial choice for your health. Honey comes in many varieties with labels like “natural,” “organic,” and “pure,” but none of those indicate that it’s raw.  Look for a label that says “raw” specifically and look out for any added ingredients like artificial sweeteners.

Mainstream and organic grocery stores, health food stores, farmer’s markets or a beekeeper you are aware of, are all places to look for raw honey. The honesty and the integrity of the beekeeper you choose to buy honey from is a key factor in this scenario.

As previously noted, not all honey is created equal; some contain higher levels of beneficial compounds than others and not everything that is presented and sold as “honey” lives up to the true meaning of its name.

By Khanna Borukhov