id: 626
name: Honey
flavor_bible_name_variants: honey,honey blueberry,honey burnt,honey raspberry,honey raw,honey wildflower,honeydew
flavor_bible_pairings_ids: almonds,apples,apricots,baked goods,bananas,brandy,butter,buttermilk,carrots,cheese goat,cheese ricotta,cheese soft,chestnuts,chicken,chocolate dark,chocolate white,cinnamon,coconut,coffee,cognac,cream and ice cream,currants red,dates,desserts,duck,figs,fruit,ginger,grapefruit,grapes,guava,ham,hazelnuts,kiwi fruit,kumquats,lamb,lavender,lemon juice,lemon zest,lime juice,liqueur orange,lychees,mascarpone,melon,mint,mustard,nutmeg,nuts,oats,orange juice,orange zest,papaya,pastries,peaches,peanuts,pears,pecans,persimmons,pineapple,pine nuts,pistachios,plums,pomegranate,pork,prunes,pumpkin,quince,raisins,raspberries,red pepper flakes,rhubarb,rum,sage,sauces,soy sauce,sugar brown,sugar white,sweet potatoes,tea,tequila,thyme,vanilla,walnuts,whiskey,wine red,wine white
status: draft
source: foodb,flavor_bible
food_db_name: Honey
flavor_db_name_variants: honey
name_scientific: null
description: Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to, as it is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans. Honey produced by other bees and insects has distinctly different properties. Honey bees transform nectar into honey by a process of regurgitation and evaporation. They store it as a primary food source in wax honeycombs inside the beehive. Honey gets its sweetness from the monosaccharides, fructose, and glucose, and has approximately the same relative sweetness as that of granulated sugar. It has attractive chemical properties for baking, and a distinctive flavor that leads some people to prefer it over sugar and other sweeteners. Most microorganisms do not grow in honey because of its low water activity of 0.6. However, honey sometimes contains dormant endospores of the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, which can be dangerous to infants, as the endospores can transform into toxin-producing bacteria in the infant's immature intestinal tract, leading to illness and even death. Honey has a long history of human consumption, and is used in various foods and beverages as a sweetener and flavoring. It also has a role in religion and symbolism. Flavors of honey vary based on the nectar source, and various types and grades of honey are available. It is also used in various medicinal traditions to treat ailments. The study of pollens and spores in raw honey can determine floral sources of honey. Bees carry an electrostatic charge whereby they attract other particles in addition to pollen, which become incorporated into their honey; the honey can be analysed by the techniques of melissopalynology in area environmental studies of radioactive particles, dust and particulate pollution.
itis_id: null
wikipedia_id: Honey
picture_file_name: 643.jpg
picture_content_type: image/jpeg
picture_file_size: 71095
picture_updated_at: 2012-04-20T09:43:55.000Z
legacy_id: null
food_group: Confectioneries
food_subgroup: Other confectioneries
food_type: Type 2
created_at: 2011-12-02T22:06:27.000Z
updated_at: 2019-05-14T18:05:28.000Z
creator_id: 2
updater_id: 2
export_to_afcdb: false
category: specific
ncbi_taxonomy_id: null
export_to_foodb: true
public_id: FOOD00626