Honey: Difference between revisions

Line 54:

The term "semi-domesticated" is preferred because all bee colonies, even those in very large agricultural apiculture operations, readily leave the protection of humans in swarms that can establish successful wild colonies. Much of the effort in commercial beekeeping is dedicated to persuading a hive that is ready to swarm to produce more honeycomb in its present location. This is usually done by adding more space to the colony with ''[[honey super]]s'', empty boxes placed on top of an existing colony. The bees can then usually be enticed to develop this empty space instead of dividing their colony through swarming.

~~== Production ==~~

~~=== Collection ===~~

~~[[File:Sealed Honey in frame.JPG|thumb|Sealed frame of honey]]~~

~~[[File:Extractor Beekeeping.jpg|thumb|right|Extraction from a honeycomb]]~~

~~[[File:Filtering of honey.jpg|thumb|upright|Filtering from a honeycomb]]~~

Honey is collected from wild bee colonies or from domesticated beehives. On average, a hive will produce about {{convert|65|lb|kg|order=flip}} of honey per year. Wild bee nests are sometimes located by following a [[honeyguide]] bird.

To safely collect honey from a hive, beekeepers typically pacify the bees using a [[bee smoker]]. The smoke triggers a feeding instinct (an attempt to save the resources of the hive from a possible fire), making them less aggressive, and obscures the pheromones the bees use to communicate. The honeycomb is removed from the hive and the honey may be extracted from it either by crushing or by using a [[honey extractor]]. The honey is then usually filtered to remove beeswax and other debris.

Before the invention of removable frames, bee colonies were often sacrificed to conduct the harvest. The harvester would take all the available honey and replace the entire colony the next spring. Since the invention of removable frames, the principles of husbandry led most beekeepers to ensure that their bees have enough stores to survive the winter, either by leaving some honey in the beehive or by providing the colony with a honey substitute such as sugar water or crystalline sugar (often in the form of a "candyboard"). The amount of food necessary to survive the winter depends on the variety of bees and on the length and severity of local winters.

~~Many animal species are attracted to wild or domestic sources of honey.~~

~~=== Preservation ===~~

Because of its composition and chemical properties, honey is suitable for long-term storage, and is easily assimilated even after long preservation. Honey, and objects immersed in honey, have been preserved for centuries. (However, no edible honey has been found in Egyptian tombs; all such cases have been proven to be other substances or only chemical traces.) The key to preservation is limiting access to humidity. In its cured state, honey has a sufficiently high sugar content to inhibit fermentation. If exposed to moist air, its [[hydrophilic]] properties pull moisture into the honey, eventually diluting it to the point that fermentation can begin.

The long [[shelf life]] of honey is attributed to an [[enzyme]] found in the stomach of bees. The bees mix [[glucose oxidase]] with expelled nectar they previously consumed, creating two [[byproduct]]s – [[gluconic acid]] and [[hydrogen peroxide]], which are partially responsible for honey acidity and suppression of bacterial growth.

~~=== Adulteration ===~~

Honey is sometimes [[Adulterant|adulterated]] by the addition of other sugars, syrups, or compounds to change its flavor or viscosity, reduce cost, or increase the fructose content to inhibit [[crystallization]]. Honey has been adulterated since ancient times, when honey was sometimes blended with plant syrups such as [[Maple syrup|maple]], [[Birch syrup|birch]], or [[Sorghum syrup|sorghum]] and sold to customers as pure honey. Sometimes crystallized honey was mixed with flour or other fillers, hiding the adulteration from buyers until the honey was liquefied. In modern times, the most common adulterant became clear, almost-flavorless corn syrup; the adulterated mixture can be very difficult to distinguish from pure honey.

According to the [[Codex Alimentarius]] of the United Nations, any product labeled as "honey" or "pure honey" must not be adulterated, although labeling laws differ between countries. In the United States, according to the National Honey Board, "Ensuring honey authenticity is one of the great challenges facing the honey industry today. Over the past half century, a number of honey testing methods have been developed to detect food fraud. To date, there is no single universal analytical method available which is capable of detecting all types of adulteration with adequate sensitivity."

[[Isotope ratio mass spectrometry]] can be used to detect addition of [[corn syrup]] and [[cane sugar]] by the carbon [[isotopic signature]]. Addition of sugars originating from corn or sugar cane ([[C4 carbon fixation|C4 plants]], unlike the plants used by bees, and also [[sugar beet]], which are predominantly [[C3 carbon fixation|C3 plants]]) skews the isotopic ratio of sugars present in honey, but does not influence the isotopic ratio of proteins. In an unadulterated honey, the carbon isotopic ratios of sugars and proteins should match. Levels as low as 7% of addition can be detected.

~~===Production ===~~

~~{| class="wikitable floatright"~~

~~|+ Honey production <br>{{small|2023, tonnes}}~~

|-

~~|{{CHN}} ||463,500~~

|-

~~|{{TUR}} ||114,886~~

|-

~~|{{ETH}} ||84,591~~

|-

~~|{{IRN}} ||80,389~~

|-

~~|{{ARG}} ||73,395~~

|-

~~|{{USA}} ||62,855~~

|-

~~|'''World''' ||'''1,893,805'''~~

|-

~~|colspan=2|{{small|Source: [[FAOSTAT]] of the [[United Nations]]}}~~

|}

~~In 2023, world production of honey was 1.9{{nbsp}}million [[tonne]]s, led by China with 24% of the total, and [[Turkey]], [[Ethiopia]], and [[Iran]] as secondary producers (table).~~

== Modern uses ==

@@ Line 54: / Line 54: @@
 The term "semi-domesticated" is preferred because all bee colonies, even those in very large agricultural apiculture operations, readily leave the protection of humans in swarms that can establish successful wild colonies. Much of the effort in commercial beekeeping is dedicated to persuading a hive that is ready to swarm to produce more honeycomb in its present location. This is usually done by adding more space to the colony with ''[[honey super]]s'', empty boxes placed on top of an existing colony. The bees can then usually be enticed to develop this empty space instead of dividing their colony through swarming.
-== Production ==
-=== Collection ===
-[[File:Sealed Honey in frame.JPG|thumb|Sealed frame of honey]]
-[[File:Extractor Beekeeping.jpg|thumb|right|Extraction from a honeycomb]]
-[[File:Filtering of honey.jpg|thumb|upright|Filtering from a honeycomb]]
-Honey is collected from wild bee colonies or from domesticated beehives. On average, a hive will produce about {{convert|65|lb|kg|order=flip}} of honey per year. Wild bee nests are sometimes located by following a [[honeyguide]] bird.
-To safely collect honey from a hive, beekeepers typically pacify the bees using a [[bee smoker]]. The smoke triggers a feeding instinct (an attempt to save the resources of the hive from a possible fire), making them less aggressive, and obscures the pheromones the bees use to communicate. The honeycomb is removed from the hive and the honey may be extracted from it either by crushing or by using a [[honey extractor]]. The honey is then usually filtered to remove beeswax and other debris.
-Before the invention of removable frames, bee colonies were often sacrificed to conduct the harvest. The harvester would take all the available honey and replace the entire colony the next spring. Since the invention of removable frames, the principles of husbandry led most beekeepers to ensure that their bees have enough stores to survive the winter, either by leaving some honey in the beehive or by providing the colony with a honey substitute such as sugar water or crystalline sugar (often in the form of a "candyboard"). The amount of food necessary to survive the winter depends on the variety of bees and on the length and severity of local winters.
-Many animal species are attracted to wild or domestic sources of honey.
-=== Preservation ===
-Because of its composition and chemical properties, honey is suitable for long-term storage, and is easily assimilated even after long preservation. Honey, and objects immersed in honey, have been preserved for centuries. (However, no edible honey has been found in Egyptian tombs; all such cases have been proven to be other substances or only chemical traces.) The key to preservation is limiting access to humidity. In its cured state, honey has a sufficiently high sugar content to inhibit fermentation. If exposed to moist air, its [[hydrophilic]] properties pull moisture into the honey, eventually diluting it to the point that fermentation can begin.
-The long [[shelf life]] of honey is attributed to an [[enzyme]] found in the stomach of bees. The bees mix [[glucose oxidase]] with expelled nectar they previously consumed, creating two [[byproduct]]s – [[gluconic acid]] and [[hydrogen peroxide]], which are partially responsible for honey acidity and suppression of bacterial growth.
-=== Adulteration ===
-Honey is sometimes [[Adulterant|adulterated]] by the addition of other sugars, syrups, or compounds to change its flavor or viscosity, reduce cost, or increase the fructose content to inhibit [[crystallization]]. Honey has been adulterated since ancient times, when honey was sometimes blended with plant syrups such as [[Maple syrup|maple]], [[Birch syrup|birch]], or [[Sorghum syrup|sorghum]] and sold to customers as pure honey. Sometimes crystallized honey was mixed with flour or other fillers, hiding the adulteration from buyers until the honey was liquefied. In modern times, the most common adulterant became clear, almost-flavorless corn syrup; the adulterated mixture can be very difficult to distinguish from pure honey.
-According to the [[Codex Alimentarius]] of the United Nations, any product labeled as "honey" or "pure honey" must not be adulterated, although labeling laws differ between countries. In the United States, according to the National Honey Board, "Ensuring honey authenticity is one of the great challenges facing the honey industry today. Over the past half century, a number of honey testing methods have been developed to detect food fraud. To date, there is no single universal analytical method available which is capable of detecting all types of adulteration with adequate sensitivity."
-[[Isotope ratio mass spectrometry]] can be used to detect addition of [[corn syrup]] and [[cane sugar]] by the carbon [[isotopic signature]]. Addition of sugars originating from corn or sugar cane ([[C4 carbon fixation|C4 plants]], unlike the plants used by bees, and also [[sugar beet]], which are predominantly [[C3 carbon fixation|C3 plants]]) skews the isotopic ratio of sugars present in honey, but does not influence the isotopic ratio of proteins. In an unadulterated honey, the carbon isotopic ratios of sugars and proteins should match. Levels as low as 7% of addition can be detected.
-===Production ===
-{| class="wikitable floatright"
-|+ Honey production <br>{{small|2023, tonnes}}
-|-
-|{{CHN}} ||463,500
-|-
-|{{TUR}} ||114,886
-|-
-|{{ETH}} ||84,591
-|-
-|{{IRN}} ||80,389
-|-
-|{{ARG}} ||73,395
-|-
-|{{USA}} ||62,855
-|-
-|'''World''' ||'''1,893,805'''
-|-
-|colspan=2|{{small|Source: [[FAOSTAT]] of the [[United Nations]]}}
-|}
-In 2023, world production of honey was 1.9{{nbsp}}million [[tonne]]s, led by China with 24% of the total, and [[Turkey]], [[Ethiopia]], and [[Iran]] as secondary producers (table).
 == Modern uses ==