Honey is a sugary substance secreted and deposited in honeycombs by honey bees of the species Apis millifera. It is produced globally, with major sources including India, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. Worker bees collect nectar from flowers using a tube, which is then converted to honey through enzymatic inversion of sucrose into glucose and fructose in the bee's stomach. Honey is removed from honeycombs after heating to remove impurities and cooling to prevent darkening. Honey has a sweet taste and is soluble in water but insoluble in alcohol. It contains sugars like glucose, fructose, and small amounts of other components that give it nutritional and medicinal properties.

1. HONEY

2.  Synonym: Madhu,
 Biological source: Honey is a sugary
substance/secretion deposited in the honey
comb by the hive bee Apis millifera and other
species of Apis belonging to the family
Apidae.
 Geographical source: Honey is produced in
India and major produce comes from the
state of Himachal pradesh, Other chief
countries are australia, newzealand, west
indies, USA.

3.  Collection and preparation: Nectar from the
flowers of certain plants is taken by the
worker bee with the help of a long hallow
tube formed from the maxillae and labium.
 The nectar mainly contains sucrose but as it
passes through the oesophagus into the
honey sac of the worker bee, it comes in
contact with the enzyme INVERTASE which is
present in the salivary secretion.

4.  Nectar invertase invert sugar
 Nectar is a watery solution containing 25%
sucrose and 75% water.
 Worker bees delivery of honey
 Removal of bees
 Smoking of comb
 By centrifugation/expression
 Applying of Pressure is not suggested as
honey is liable to contamination of bees wax
present in the comb.

6.  Honey obtained from the comb is heated to 80ºc
so that the impurities floating on the surface are
removed
 Density of honey is adjusted to 1.35-1.37
 After heating and removal of impurities, honey
should be cooled rapidly to avoid colour
darkening on storage.
 Characters: freshly prepared honey has
colour: translucent/ pale yellow
odour: pleasant
taste: sweet

7.  On storage, honey becomes opaque and
granules are formed due to crystallization of
sugar.
 Soluble in water and insoluble in alcohol and
other organic solvents.
 Optically active.
 Chemical constituents:
 Honey contains glucose(30-40%),
fructose(40-50%), small quantities of sucrose,
dextrin, formic acid.
 Also contaisn proteins, enzymes, vitamins,
coloring matter

8.  Amount of sugars is varied depending upon the
sucrose of nectar and activity of invertase enzyme
responsible for converting nectar into honey.
 Adulterants:
 It may be adulterated with artificial invert sugar
which contains furfural detected by fiehe’s test ,
which gives red color eith resorcinol in HCL.

9.  Honey is used as a demulcent and sweetening
agent..
 It is used as antiseptic.
 It is applied to burns and wounds.
 Used in preparations of creams, lotions, soft
drinks, candies also.