Let us look at the chemistry that makes Honey!
You can read more about this process in this excellent peer-reviewed journal article entitled: Biochemical Reactions and Their Biological Contributions in Honey
Bees collect nectar from thousands of flowers:
- Nectar mostly contains sucrose (a disaccharide commonly known as table sugar) along with water and small amounts of other compounds.
- The sucrose concentration in nectar typically ranges from 20% to 40%, depending on the plant type.
Bees Add Enzymes:
- Enzymes are made in a bee’s hypopharyngeal glands
- The main enzyme is an invertase called sucrase:
- The sucrase enzyme breaks (technically hydrolyzes, sometimes called inverts) the sucrose sugar into its monomers by adding a water molecule between the two sugar’s bond.
- Sucrose is actually two sugar molecules chemically bonded together by an α-glucosidic bond. Glucose and Fructose sugars are produced in plants and bound together to make sucrose. In the honey production process, Sucrose molecules are converted back to being separate Glucose and Fructose monomeric sugars by using an enzyme.
- Glucose oxidase enzyme is added:
- Glucose oxidase breaks down glucose (one of the sugars) into gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide.
- The hydrogen peroxide is used to keep microbes from growing in the honey.
- And, the gluconic acid helps bring down the honey pH to approx. 4. This makes it more acidic. Lower pH is also commonly used to preserve foods by reducing microbe growth. Think about pickles, ketchup and other sour tasting foods that are preserved with a low pH.
- Diastase (amylase) enzyme is added to help convert any other polysaccharides such as amylose, back into glucose.
- Catalase are also added, these can remove the hydrogen peroxide. But, this depends on the type of honey and if it is needed.
- Some β-glucosidase enzymes are added to help break down any plant fibers.
- Finally, if the honey is being made from buckwheat nectar, the bees will also add Glucosylceramidase enzyme to catalyzes the hydrolysis of glucosylceramide (a glycolipid) into glucose and ceramide.
The enzyme process starts the moment the bee collects the nectar, and will continue during storage processing in the hive.
During the storage process, the pre-honey is dried.
- The drying process reduces the water content to under 20%.
- This drying also causes trans-glycosylation reactions to occur. As the water evaporates, the sugar concentration becomes very high and promotes various chemical reactions. Many different sugars will start to combine (condense together) forming maltose, isomaltose, inulobiose, sophorose, and gentiobiose. These then continue on to make longer oligosaccharides such as 1-kestose, melezitose, and panose. These longer chain sugars help give honey its unique taste profile and serve as prebiotics in human digestion.
- The drying also promotes the formation of hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). This is promoted by the low pH (acidity), trace minerals, and high hexose sugar concentration. While HMF can be harmful to honeybees, the low amounts in honey means it can be helpful to humans as an antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic, anti-allergenic, and anti-hyperuricemic compound.
- Finally, Maillard reactions occur. Think of browning a turkey in the oven! Maillard reactions happen when sugars combine with proteins to give that amazing golden brown color and lightly toasted taste. This also happens in honey as the trace proteins are squeezed together with the sugar molecules and give enough time, they combine.
Honey is the result of a complex mixture of enzyme and non-enzyme processing. All done by our amazing, skilled, and dedicated team of bees!