Honey is a product obtained from the activity of bees by processing sugary juices by buzzing, or harvesting.

Honey contains more than 180 substances among which sugars such as fructose and glucose. Vitamins and phytochemicals are also present, even though to a lesser extent. The composition of substances varies according to the areas of harvesting.

Harvested from honeycombs by pressure, centrifugation or dripping, honey can have a semi-liquid, dense or syrupy consistency and, over time, solidify and become opaque and in granules due to the glucose that forms a suspension of crystals.

Depending on the flowers, the bottled plants and the season, its colour and taste vary.

Some types of honey:

• Chestnut honey, rather bitter and brown in colour
• Acacia honey, sweet and light in colour
• Honey of lime, sweet and of light colour, almost white

In the chemical composition we find, (the percentages are approximate) :

• Water 15%
• Sucrose 10%
• Levulose
• Glucose
• Mannite
• Fats
• Caffeic acid
• Cinnamic acid
• Phenolic acid
• Dextrins

and bioactive biological essential components:

• Vitamin A Retinol
• Vitamin E Tocopherol
• Vitamin B Thiamine
• Vitamin C Ascorbic acid
• Cinnamic acid
• Pantothenic acid

There are also 320 varieties of honey by-products on the market, including :

Rosé honey which is composed of 20% honey in water with red rose petals and which is used as a disinfectant, , cicatrizant, astringent, etc.

Whole virgin honey, obtained by centrifugation at temperatures not exceeding 40 °, with antibiotic properties, antibacterial.

Honey is added to cosmetic products such as ointments for the lips, cleansing milk, moisturizing creams, after sun, tonic lotions, shampoos and conditioners. The quantities used vary between 1 and 10%, but concentrations of up to 70% can be achieved by mixing with oils, gels, emulsifiers, or polymers.

Honey contains some amount of fructose, a natural component that, when consumed in quantity can lead to hepatic and extrahepatic insulin resistance, obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and high blood pressure. There is, however, no objective reason to argue that moderate fructose intake, or fructose consumed with fruit or honey, is unsafe (1).

Safety

Although current EU legislation does not allow the use of antimicrobials, their residues are often detected in honey intended for human consumption. This study aims to investigate whether bees living in hives located near tanks filled with pig manure containing oxytetracycline residues, by collecting the water contained therein, thus contaminate their honey (2).

Another problem concerning food safety is the presence of pesticide residues in honey. Pesticides can be either chlororganic or phosphororganic.

However, honey contains a high content of fructose.  Fructose is another component with an innocuous and inviting name, but consuming too much of it can create health risks. And honey also contains antibiotics that keep bees from infection, so by consuming honey, some antibiotic will pass into your body. When buying honey, check that it says 'antibiotic-free' on the label.

 Honey studies

References_____________________________________________________________________

(1) Tappy L, Lê KA. Metabolic effects of fructose and the worldwide increase in obesity. Physiol Rev. 2010 Jan;90(1):23-46. doi: 10.1152/physrev.00019.2009. 

Abstract. While virtually absent in our diet a few hundred years ago, fructose has now become a major constituent of our modern diet. Our main sources of fructose are sucrose from beet or cane, high fructose corn syrup, fruits, and honey. Fructose has the same chemical formula as glucose (C(6)H(12)O(6)), but its metabolism differs markedly from that of glucose due to its almost complete hepatic extraction and rapid hepatic conversion into glucose, glycogen, lactate, and fat. Fructose was initially thought to be advisable for patients with diabetes due to its low glycemic index. However, chronically high consumption of fructose in rodents leads to hepatic and extrahepatic insulin resistance, obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and high blood pressure. The evidence is less compelling in humans, but high fructose intake has indeed been shown to cause dyslipidemia and to impair hepatic insulin sensitivity. Hepatic de novo lipogenesis and lipotoxicity, oxidative stress, and hyperuricemia have all been proposed as mechanisms responsible for these adverse metabolic effects of fructose. Although there is compelling evidence that very high fructose intake can have deleterious metabolic effects in humans as in rodents, the role of fructose in the development of the current epidemic of metabolic disorders remains controversial. Epidemiological studies show growing evidence that consumption of sweetened beverages (containing either sucrose or a mixture of glucose and fructose) is associated with a high energy intake, increased body weight, and the occurrence of metabolic and cardiovascular disorders. There is, however, no unequivocal evidence that fructose intake at moderate doses is directly related with adverse metabolic effects. There has also been much concern that consumption of free fructose, as provided in high fructose corn syrup, may cause more adverse effects than consumption of fructose consumed with sucrose. There is, however, no direct evidence for more serious metabolic consequences of high fructose corn syrup versus sucrose consumption.

(2) Ricchiuti L, Petrollini E, Annunziata L, D'Aloise A, Leonardi D, Pomilio F. Contamination of honey by oxytetracycline from pig manure. Vet Ital. 2019 Jun 30;55(2):123-129. doi: 10.12834/VetIt.1033.5510.4. 

Abstract. Although the use of antimicrobial is not allowed in bee industry according to current EU legislation, antimicrobial residues are often detected in honey doomed to human consumption. This study aims to investigate if bees living in hives located nearby tanks filled with pig manure containing residues of oxytetracycline, would naturally harvest water from it, thus contaminating their honey. Data from this experiment were compared with those originating from direct contamination with oxytetracycline through the beehive feeders. Bees did not harvest water from manure, even during the warmest days of summer. Instead, antimicrobial residues were evidenced and quantified in honey from hives directly contaminated with oxytetracycline. Interestingly, antimicrobial residues were also observed in honey from untreated hives thus suggesting that illegal treatments can cause contamination, albeit at low levels, of honey produced in legally-untreated neighboring hives.