The article "The Sweet Science: Unravelling the Chemical Composition of Honey" by Prof. Renald Blundell, published in The Malta Independent on Sunday on 7 July 2024, offers a detailed examination of the complex biochemical composition of honey, highlighting its diverse nature and the numerous applications that arise from its distinct properties.
While honey is often appreciated for its sweetness, it is revealed to be a multifaceted substance, made up of a variety of sugars, enzymes, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and other bioactive compounds that contribute to both its nutritional and medicinal benefits.
The primary component of honey is its sugar content, mainly fructose and glucose, which together account for about 95% of its dry weight. These sugars provide honey’s characteristic sweetness and influence its physical characteristics, such as:
- viscosity
- crystallisation tendencies, and
- moisture absorption.
In addition to sugars, honey contains a range of minor components that, though present in small amounts, play significant roles in its overall properties. These include amino acids, organic acids, enzymes such as glucose oxidase, as well as vitamins and minerals. Glucose oxidase, for example, helps produce hydrogen peroxide in honey, which is crucial to its well-known antibacterial qualities.
Honey is also rich in polyphenols and flavonoids, powerful antioxidants that combat oxidative stress in the body by neutralizing harmful free radicals. The concentration of these compounds varies depending on the floral source, leading to differences in the antioxidant strength of different honey types, with some being more beneficial for health than others.
Additionally, honey’s antimicrobial properties are attributed to its low pH, high sugar content, and the presence of hydrogen peroxide. These factors combine to create an environment that inhibits microbial growth, making honey an effective natural preservative and a valuable treatment for wounds.
