NUTRITION IN HONEY

Honey

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy 300 kcal 1270 kJ

Carbohydrates 82.4 g - Sugars 82.12 g - Dietary fiber 0.2 g Fat 0 g Protein 0.3 g Water 17.10 g Riboflavin (Vit. B2) 0.038 mg 3% Niacin (Vit. B3) 0.121 mg 1% Pantothenic acid (B5) 0.068 mg 1% Vitamin B6 0.024 mg 2% Folate (Vit. B9) 2 μg 1% Vitamin C 0.5 mg 1% Calcium 6 mg 1% Iron 0.42 mg 3% Magnesium 2 mg 1% Phosphorus 4 mg 1% Potassium 52 mg 1% Sodium 4 mg 0% Zinc 0.22 mg 2%

Shown is for 100 g, roughly 5 tbsp. Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient database

Honey is a mixture of sugars and other compounds. With respect to carbohydrates, honey is mainly fructose (about 38.5%) and glucose (about 31.0%), making it similar to the synthetically produced inverted sugar syrup which is approximately 48% fructose, 47% glucose, and 5% sucrose. Honey's remaining carbohydrates include maltose, sucrose, and other complex carbohydrates^. Honey contains trace amounts of several vitamins and minerals. As with all nutritive sweeteners, honey is mostly sugars and is not a significant source of vitamins or minerals. Honey also contains tiny amounts of several compounds thought to function as antioxidants, including chrysin, pinobanksin, vitamin C, catalase, and pinocembrin. The specific composition of any batch of honey depends on the flowers available to the bees that produced the honey.

Typical honey analysis

• Fructose: 38.5%
• Glucose: 31%
• Sucrose: 1%
• Water: 17%
• Other sugars: 9% (maltose, melezitose)
• Ash: 0.17%
• Artificial sugar or artificial sweetner: 3.25%
• Other: 0.13%

Honey has a density of about 1.36 kilograms per liter (36% denser than water).

Isotope ratio mass spectrometry can be used to detect addition of corn syrup or sugar cane sugars by the carbon isotopic signature. Addition of sugars originating from corn or sugar cane (C4 plants, unlike the plants used by bees which are predominantly 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. As low as 7% level of addition can be detected.

Source : Wikipedia the free encyclopedia