Classification of honey: types, taste, nutritional value

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Honey looks like a viscous and fragrant mass of liquid or crystallized consistency, transparent or white, yellow or brown and even brown. This is one of the oldest products known to mankind. Traditionally, honey is produced by honey bees from the nectar collected from flowers. However, today there are other ways to get this sweet treat. Everyone knows what honey tastes like. But how rich is its range? The classification of honey according to various criteria will be presented in our article. Let us dwell in more detail on what are the sources of its receipt and which type is considered the most useful.

Natural and artificial honey

The first classification feature allows you to separate into a separate group a product that has practically nothing to do with beekeeping. The classification of honey by origin subdivides itto:

• natural;
• artificial.

The first type is obtained naturally, and the second is obtained at food industry enterprises by heating a solution of sucrose with lactic or other acids, followed by the addition of natural honey to the mass. Moreover, the concentration of the latter usually does not exceed 8-10%.

Natural honey is obtained as a result of the fermentation of the nectar of flowers or honeydew by bees. It has the highest nutritional value and has medicinal and bactericidal properties. The chemical composition of honey is not constant. It depends on the type of honey plants from which the nectar was collected by the bees, as well as on the season.

Types of honey by collection sources

It is worth noting that all the types of honey classification below refer to a product of natural origin.

Depending on the sources of collection, they distinguish:

1. Flower honey. The presented variety is a product of the collection and processing of flower nectar collected by bees. Flower honey is monofloral and polyfloral. The first bees extract from the nectar of flowers of the same species (buckwheat, linden, acacia, etc.), and the second - from different honey plants (meadow, steppe, etc.).
2. Honeydew honey. It is obtained as a result of the fermentation of honeydew and honeydew by bees. This honey has the highest content of mineral elements. But in Russia, unlike far-abroad countries, it is only processed in the food industry.
3. Mixedhoney. This product is a blend of flower and honeydew in varying proportions.

Species by botanical origin

Depending on the honey plant, the classification of honey involves dividing it into the following varieties:

1. Acacia honey. This variety is one of the best. In the liquid state, honey from the nectar of acacia flowers is transparent, and after candied it immediately turns white.
2. Barberry. This type of honey is a product of the processing of the nectar of flowers of the common barberry, which grows in the Crimea and the European part of the Russian Federation. Characterized by golden yellow color and delicate taste.
3. Buckwheat honey has a dark red or brown hue and a specific taste. It is characterized by an increased amount of iron in the composition.
4. Chestnut is a low-grade honey collected by bees from the chestnut tree, which has a bitter, unpleasant aftertaste.
5. Lime. Among beekeepers, it ranks second in terms of the content of nutrients after buckwheat. Its taste is intense, the aroma is strong. In appearance, this honey is almost transparent amber or light yellow in color.
6. Sunflower honey tastes good when liquid. After the transition to another state, it becomes viscous, less attractive and acquires a light yellow hue. Sunflower honey has high enzyme activity.
7. Clover honey is a high-grade species. In the liquid state, it is almost transparent, and after crystallization it becomes white. It haspleasant taste and aroma.
8. Heather – This low-grade honey is made from the nectar of pink heather flowers. It has a viscous texture, slowly crystallizes and has a tart, bitter taste.
9. Donnikovy - natural white honey with a delicate taste and pleasant aroma.
10. Fruit - honey collected from flowering fruit trees. This variety has a high glucose content.

By botanical origin, there are more than fifty different types of honey. They differ in color, taste, aroma and composition of minerals.

Classification of honey by method of production

On this basis, the following types of honey are distinguished:

• centrifugal;
• pressed;
• cellular.

Each variety has its own characteristics.

Centrifugal honey in the classification is defined as the most common of the above types. It is extracted from the honeycomb using a honey centrifuge called a honey extractor. It can be liquid or crystallized.

Pressed honey is extracted from honeycombs by pressing and only if it cannot be extracted with a honey extractor. Heather product belongs to this species.

Comb honey is sold in frames, sections or individual pieces. The product in sealed combs is especially highly valued.

Classification by practical use

On this basis, honey is divided into the following types:

• healing;
• food;
• confectionery;
• non-food (poisonous).

The last species is obtained after processing the nectar collected from the flowers of plants such as azalea, marsh heather, wild rosemary, andromeda, hellebore. This type of honey is not available for sale. It causes poisoning in humans, similar to alcohol intoxication. For this he is also called drunken honey.

Transparency and color, taste and smell

Natural honey can have shades from light yellow to dark brown, as well as brown, depending on the honey plant from which the nectar was collected. The classification of honey by color also allows you to determine its type. For example, light varieties are obtained from nectar from flowers of acacia, linden, sunflower, and dark varieties are obtained from milkweed or buckwheat.

During the examination of honey, its other indicators are also evaluated. For example, the aroma can be low to high. High-quality honey has no foreign smell. The taste should also be bright and pleasant. There should be no off-flavours.

Which honey is the he althiest?

As for the classification of honey according to its usefulness, the first place should be rightly given to buckwheat honey. It contains about 37% glucose and 40% fructose. It contains a large amount of minerals, especially iron, and proteins. It helps to increase the level of hemoglobin, cleanse blood vessels, renew blood, and regenerate damaged tissues.

The next most useful, according to beekeepers,belongs to linden honey. It contains, in addition to glucose and fructose, volatile antimicrobial substances. It will help with sore throat, laryngitis, bronchial asthma. Linden honey is an excellent laxative and expectorant.

The third most useful product is acacia. It is perfectly absorbed by the body of adults and children, without causing allergic reactions. Acacia honey is suitable for dietary nutrition, as it contains enzymes that improve digestion.

Clover honey is considered no less useful for the human body. It contains coumarin, a blood thinner. Regular use of this product is the best prevention of heart attacks and strokes.

Classification of honey in commodity science

The above product is in high demand among buyers. In accordance with the commodity nomenclature, according to which the goods are classified (sugar, honey, and starch, etc.), it is included in group 04 of heading 0409 along with dairy products and bird eggs. This heading includes natural honey produced by bees or other insects. It is important that it be a product that does not contain sugar and any other additional substances. The word "natural" is required in the title.

The classification of artificial honey places it under heading 1702.

Other classification features

Bashkir, Altai, Far Eastern, Caucasian, Central Asian and others are distinguished by region.

According to the density (consistency), honey is liquid andcandied (crystallized). The first is fresh, pumped out of the cells in the current season. The second type is honey, formed naturally as a result of the crystallization process. For sugaring, a product obtained from different honey plants will take unequal time. Forbs remain in a liquid state for the longest time. Sunflower honey crystallizes the fastest.