Dec 7, 20207 min read

Types of Honey

Updated: Apr 19, 2021

How many types of this “Nectar of God” you know or seen or tasted in your life?

I am not a Honey lover, but my profession made me eager and forced me to find the best honey available in my country to provide the best product to my customers.

When it comes to using honey in my handmade soaps, Manuka honey (this is the only one I knew before my search) always came in my mind and is available in my country at an exorbitant price.

Well, pure or processed, this is another story.

And, Wow!! I am amazed to learn about different kinds of honey. There are hundreds of honey to comprehend. However, it isn't easy to get information on each of the honey, but I'll make sure to add every honey (in this blog) I come through.

Knowing just Manuka honey (before this blog), some other commercial honey (source unknown) and the ones who sell at the roadside (source unknown), who claim it to be pure, is so meanness towards Bees who does such a fantastic job all over the world. Its time for the BEES to get some recognition.

When I was exploring, learning and writing this blog, I also searched about the different kinds of honey our Mother India provides. I will be discussing it later in this blog, but let me tell you that I am so happy to know that India is the World’s largest exporters of honey.

Honeybee – A blessing of God

The honeybee is a blessing from God to humankind. It does and gives such great things to humans without expecting anything in return in its short life. We kill it when we see it near us without any thought, to save ourselves from harm, completely forgetting that the bee is the saviour of our world. Bees are the world’s most important pollinator of food crops and the food (which is estimated to be the one third) that we eat each day depend on pollination mainly by bees. From vegetables to fruits, they require pollination. Pollination is done by different kind of bees, birds and insects.

Examples include soybeans, avocados, asparagus, celery, squash, broccoli, sunflowers for oil, cucumbers, citrus fruit, peaches, kiwis, cherries, cranberries, melons, blueberries and almonds. Honeybees can also pollinate clover and alfalfa, which are fed to cattle and cows.

In the pollination of other important crops such as cotton, flax and other valuable non-food items, honeybees play a significant role. For example, Beeswax is used in cleaning and beauty products.

So, it will not be wrong to say that bees are important for humans and the entire ecosystem to function.

That is the reason why people, community, society are becoming more aware of bees and try different ways to keep them safe like –

beekeepers nurture them by planting bee-friendly plants in their garden.
organic farming is speeding its pace where no chemicals are used for the crops. Hence, we need to support organic farming.
by spreading the awareness of the importance of bees for humanity and their declining population.

Properties of Honey

There are few things which you will find familiar in all honey – Honey is one of the oldest medicines known, which has been used for its healing properties, internally and externally both.

When it comes to any honey, raw honey is always best to buy, if you seek any health benefit from it. The ingredients responsible for providing benefits in honey are bee pollen, propolis (also known as bee glue) and enzymes. They are eliminated during pasteurisation and ultra-filtration in commercial honey, to make it look smoother and increase its shelf life which lasts longer before crystallising. If you want to be sure that the honey you are purchasing is raw and unfiltered, buy it right from the farm or beekeepers. This way, you will be sure that the honey is saved from a fairly common but undesirable practice of adding sweeteners, like corn syrup to the honey, carried out by producers. They ruin the honey by doing so to increase the quantity and to lower the cost of the product. Studies have shown that raw honey is a better choice than sugar when it comes to cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Different honey has different colour, taste and aroma, and its classification of variety is done primarily on: – Trees, shrub and type of flower from which the honey is harvested – The location from where it is gathered – The climatic conditions when the honey is produced. Above conditions also decides its texture, sweetness and medicinal/healing properties. Even in one single honey, you may find varietals depending on the location; it comes from.
Nutritional value of the honey is more or less the same. If we talk about the average nutritional value, then, the Composition of honey is:- Glucose (31%), Water (17%), Fructose (38%), Maltose (7%), and other higher sucrose, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and enzymes. Vitamins like Riboflavin, Thiamin, Pantothenic acid, Niacin, Vitamin B-6, Vitamin B-12, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Folate. Minerals like Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Copper, Manganese, Phosphorous, Potassium, Sodium, Zinc. Every honey is unique in its nutritional value. Almost all honey have natural antioxidants (Catalase, ascorbic acid, flavonoids). An antioxidant is important because it helps the organs and systems of the body to protect against free radical damage. It potentially helps to fight diseases as severe as heart disease and cancer and combat the effects of ageing. They have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antifungal and antiseptic/medicinal properties if applied topically for wound healing and preventing those wounds from becoming infected. These powers make them an ideal treatment for killing germs that cause infection. Antiviral properties help the body battle against bacteria and viruses, creating many medical challenges for us, such as cough, cold, flu, and sore throats.
Using honey in the kitchen is entirely on an individual and keenness in gourmet cooking. As we all know, cooking is an art, and ideas play a significant role in using any ingredient in cooking. Information about the honey is helpful. Well, you don’t have to be so serious about it, trial and error always work well in cooking. Some honey has a mild flavour; some are quite strong. Some are perfect for cooking, while some are delicious to eat straight from the jar.
The percentages of simple sugars present in honey determine how quickly it forms crystals once water falls out of suspension. When the honey has low sucrose and is high in fructose, its water remains in solution for a long time. If honey is high in sucrose, it crystallises quickly. The crystallisation rate increases when: - the water content is low - has a high glucose content - the presence of solid particles like pollen grains The crystallisation of honey is entirely normal and doesn’t mean it has spoiled. You can easily restore it into a liquid state by heating the honey jar in a warm water bath at a temperature of 45 degrees C, with the help of double boiler (a gentle way of heating) for 30-60 minutes.

How to store Honey

Honey is a full-bodied food product, and if stored properly, it will last for years. Here are some of the tips to keep your rich honey safe and long-lasting:

Temperature affects the life of honey very much. Keep your honey jar away from direct sunlight, in a cupboard (21C) if it’s for regular use (everyday use). Prolonged exposure to sunlight may destroy the nutritional benefits of the honey.
Suppose you have hot weather, its always better to store in a refrigerator for honey to last very long. Pure honey will not crystallise in the fridge, but yes impure honey does because of the added sugar syrup.
Always store in a glass or non-metallic container because honey is acidic so it can dissolve metal.
Always keep the jar's lid tightly closed because honey is hygroscopic, which means it absorbs odour and moisture from the environment.

Disadvantages of Honey

Whether raw or processed, honey is not recommended for infants below 12 months and maybe for some adults or old age people who have a susceptible digestive system.

A bacteria called Clostridium botulinum, which is very common and found in any raw food, including honey, may contain Clostridium botulinum spores. It is said that it is scarce to find in honey, but the study shows that the bacteria may come in contact with honey during its processing.

The toxins produced by these bacteria are hazardous and create a severe condition for infants and people with a baby like the digestive system. A strong and healthy person can ingest C. botulinum.

Still, infants and people with a weak and sensitive digestive system cannot deal with many kinds of antigens, including C. botulinum. This bacteria is very resilient and can survive harsh conditions, including honey pasteurisation process.

Some people can be allergic to particular honey, so it’s imperative to read the honey label carefully. Sometimes we are not aware that we are allergic to something, but seek doctor's advice instead of treating themselves when such a situation comes. Also, make a note of the reason for that allergy for your future use.

Honey is not considered vegan by the vegan community for a few reasons. The main reason is that it comes from an animal. However, it’s one’s preference to eat honey or not for its benefits.

How Bees Make Honey?

Bees produce every honey in the same manner. However, species of bee may differ.

When the honey bee extracts the nectar, it is combined with “bee enzyme” which is secreted within the bee mouth from the bee’s glands.
After the honey bees return to the hive, the nectar they have collected is passed between themselves for further mixing the nectar with the enzymes, pollen and propolis.
This activity reduces the water content converting the nectar into honey.
Then, they deposit the honey into wax cells. The water content may be too high (about 25-30%) at this point and to reduce the water content, the honey bees fan the wax cell with their wings to evaporate the excess water.
This process helps to reduce the water content in honey to roughly below 20%. The ideal range of water content in the honey is 17.8% and below.
Honeycomb then sealed off with beeswax, and the honey bees repeat the process all over again.

Before I delve into any further information about how what, why on bees, with due respect, I’ll make a quick detour and change the topic to the different kinds of honey we get from bees and their benefits; not forgetting the fact that the biggest and the most important blessing we receive from bees is HONEY!

So, come on, let’s know more about different kinds of honey.