Honey Composition

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Honey is the substance made when the nectar and sweet deposits from plants are gathered, modified and stored in the honeycomb by honey bees. The definition of honey stipulates a pure product that does not allow for the addition of any other substance. This includes, but is not limited to, water or other sweeteners.

Typical Honey Composition

As a natural product, the composition of honey is highly variable.

Average	Range	Standard Deviation	Fructose/ Glucose
Ratio	1.23	0.76 – 1.86	1.26
Fructose, %	38.38	30.91 - 44.26	3.04
Glucose, %	30.31	22.89 - 40.75	3.04
Minerals (Ash)	0.169	0.020 - 1.028	0.15
Moisture, %	17.2	13.4 - 22.9	1.46
Reducing Sugar, %	76.75	61.39 - 83.72	2.76
Sucrose, %	1.31	0.25 - 7.57	0.87
pH	3.91	3.42 - 6.10	-
Total Acidity, meq/kg	29.12	8.68 - 59.49	10.33
True Protein, mg/100g	168.6	57.7 - 567	70.9

References

F:G ratio, Fructose, Glucose, Sucrose: White, J. W. Jr.

Detection of Honey Adulteration by Carbohydrate Analysis, Jour. Assoc. Off. Anal. Chem. 63 (1) 11-18. 1980.

Reducing Sugars and pH: Calculated from data in White, J. W., Jr. et al.

Composition of American Honeys. Tech. Bull. 1261, Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 1962.

Protein: White, J. W. Jr., and Rudyj, O. N.

The Protein Content of Honey. Jour. Apicul. Res., 17 (4) 234-238. 1978. Moisture, Total Acidity, and Minerals: White, J. W., Jr. , et al.

Composition of American Honeys. Tech. Bull. 1261, Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington DC 1962.