Raw honey is a wonderful natural product. It’s created with a large number of components and a very unique process. One of the common questions about honey is, what gives it it’s natural sweetness? Much of the answers are found in the chemistry of honey itself. Learn about the chemistry of honey and what makes it so sweet by reading below.
Honey is sweet because of its high concentrations of the monosaccharides fructose and glucose. It has about the same relative sweetness as sucrose (table sugar). One standard tablespoon (15 mL) of honey provides around 190 kilojoules (46 kilocalories) of food energy.
Honey Begins With Nectar
Bees begin making honey with nectar. The nectar comes from when bees pollinate flowers. Nectar is a thin solution made up of mostly water and is categorized as a complex sugar. The bees use an enzyme that converts the nectar into glucose and fructose—also known as simple sugars. These sugars are healthier, and more digestible than table sugar that’s generally used as sweetener. Raw honey will also vary slightly in taste because of the nectar. Bees pollinate different flowers depending on the region, which means there are different types of nectar.
Raw Honey Is Unprocessed
The sweetness of raw honey and regular honey are different because of the distinct processes they go through. Raw honey retains all its natural sweetness because it’s virtually unfiltered. The only processing it goes through is a simple filtering to remove debris such as beeswax, honeycomb, and possible bees. Regular honey goes through a much more involved process that involves filtering and pasteurizing which removes a number of natural components. Some of these include the pollen, sugars, enzymes, and antioxidants, which make up the honey’s unique flavors.
Honey My Love So Sweet – April Boys (LYRICS)
FAQ
Can some honey be sweeter than others?
Is real honey supposed to be sweet?
Is pure honey too sweet?
Is honey Naturally Sweetened?