We all know honey comes from bees; however, today we want to analyse its principal components and their benefits. Read on and discover everything this natural product has to offer!
Honey is a complex product. It is most commonly thought of as a natural sweetener, made up of rapid absorption sugars (fructose and glucose) and water in different proportions, depending on the honey. However, honey is much more than this. At LAPUELA Honey we inform you that honey hides other ingredients that depend on the flora of the area, which makes it unique.
Thereby, in honey we can also find simple sugars, nitrogenous substances, organic acids, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, mineral salts, vitamins, volatile compounds… All of these are present in small quantities and determine the sensorial characteristics and biological potential of honey.
The characteristics of each type of honey vary depending on their origin, that is, their botanical origin (the collection of flowers that bees have visited), the area of production (the minerals in the soil), the weather (rain, drought, temperature), and, of course, the know-how of the beekeeper. Furthermore, a proper handling of the hives and the packaging process ensures the honey we consume has the same characteristics as the one that is left in in the hives.
In Asturias we can find very different types of honey, with many different colours, scents and flavours, and other properties that differentiate them from the rest.
The benefits of honey
Honey is known to be a product with health-giving properties that have been proven by science.
The bibliographic revision of Composition and properties of honey, in which Mª Teresa Sancho and Ana Pascual-Maté of the Department of Biotechnology and Food Science in the University of Burgos have participated, highlights the importance of honey as a source of energy due to its rapidly absorbed sugars. In addition, the same study determines that chestnut honey, honeydew and heather honey have high antioxidant strength due to their phenolic compounds (flavonoids and phenolic acids).
We must add that other clinical studies have demonstrated the soothing effect that honey has on night time coughing. Moreover, Dr. Sancho mentions the disinfectant and healing properties on wounds and other skin damage. Dr. Bogdanov is a clear defender of the therapeutic benefits of honey.
In addition to health benefits, we also enjoy honey. There is honey to suit everyone’s taste: the lightest honey is the sweetest, and the darker one is less sweet, as it contains high mineral salt content. Even honey with pleasant bitter notes exists. The difficult task is choosing your favourite.
At LAPUELA Honey we invite you to try out our different types of honey and tell us through our social media which is your favourite. Let us know your thoughts and opinions on Facebook and Instagram!
