Honey Nutrition Facts
Honey Nutrition Facts.. The healing properties of honey have been known for a long time. It comes with amazing health benefits..
Its effectiveness in the field of cosmetics is already proven, researchers are now interested in many other virtues it has for health. Several experiments and clinical trials are underway, others are already confirmed on nutritional and therapeutic qualities of honey.
Honey is a secretion produced by bees from the nectar of transformation or honeydew they collect from flowers. It is a natural product without additives, dye or fragrance. It is an acidic substance with a pH between 3.5 and 6 and the color varies widely.
While honey’s health benefits and nutritional qualities are numerous, its consumption should be moderate- due to high calorie content. Honey is not recommended for children under 1 year because of the risk of botulism.
Today, research is mainly focused on the antiseptic properties of honey on wounds, and antibacterial properties against infections. In fact , scientists are now looking for a solution that includes honey to fight the germ resistance against conventional antibiotic drugs, which is becoming a major problem for public health.
The results of several studies have confirmed the existence of specific substances in honey: inhibins and defensins. These are the main proteins involved in immunity. Furthermore, the acidity of the honey is an inadequate condition for the proliferation of bacteria.
The healing property of honey is also confirmed. Gluco-oxidase is an enzyme present in honey, that converts sugar to peroxide oxygen. This substance is not only an inappropriate environment for the multiplication of bacteria, but also facilitates and promotes revascularization and tissue regeneration of the wound.
There are several types of honey, which depend on the production (nectar, honeydew), the botanical origin (eucalyptus, lime, chestnut, lavender, thyme,… ), the color and where it originates from. So the composition of honey depends on all these factors. Besides the nutritional and healing properties of honey, some varieties have more specific virtues and properties.
The composition of honey is very variable, depending on the conditions of production and conservation. But it contains mainly:
– Water (17 % -20 %)
– Protein <1 % but contains a variety of amino acids (aspartic acid, alanine, cystine, glutamic acid, arginine, glycine, leucine, histidine..)
– Carbohydrates (78 % to 80 %) with mainly fructose (31%) and glucose (38%).
– Lipids in very small quantities.
– Vitamins A, B1 , B2, B3 , B5, B6 , B8 , C, D and K.
– Different minerals and trace elements in different varieties of honey.
– Enzymes in honey are dominated by glucose oxidase, invertase and gluco-amylases.
The composition of honey reveals that it is a very rich substance in natural nutrients that can facilitate the overall functioning of the body. To maintain the proper action of these nutrients, honey should be kept in a constant temperature environment (not in the refrigerator) and be protected from light.
Nutritional value per 100g of honey
Energy: 304 kcal ( 1272 kJ or )
Water: 17.1 g
Carbohydrates: 82.4 g
Proteins: 0.3 g
Fat: Very small amount
Minerals
Calcium: 6 mg
Iron: 0.42 mg
Magnesium: 2 mg
Phosphorus: 4 mg
Potassium: 52 mg
Sodium: 4 mg
Zinc: 0.22 mg
Vitamins
Vitamin B2: 0.038 mg
Vitamin B3: 0.121 mg
Vitamin B9: 2 mg
Vitamin C: 0.5 mg
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