Bee honey is one of the most valuable nutrients that nature gives us. The bactericidal and strengthening properties of natural honey have been known for a very long time - the product is added to drinks and dishes, the use of which helps to increase the body's resistance to diseases and infections. This article is devoted to the question: why is natural honey bitter?
Can honey be bitter?
A natural product is produced by bees from nectar of flowers or honey dew (a substance secreted by aphids that feed on plant sap). The conversion of honey dew to honey partially occurs in the body of a bee, and ends in a comb. Final product formation involves the evaporation of water and certain biochemical transformations, including the conversion of sucrose to glucose and fructose. The product is especially recommended for exhaustion, weakness after operations, antibiotic treatment. Increases the number of red blood cells, accelerates recovery, relieves fatigue.
Did you know? One bee brings about 1/12 teaspoon of honey for 6 weeks of its short life. For a year, a beekeeper collects about 150 kg of high-quality honey from one beehive.
Honey also enhances the action of all natural cold remedies. The taste and aroma of real honey are determined by the ingredients of essential oils obtained from nectar, so the substance collected from certain plants may have a light or strong bitterness. The color, aroma, taste and composition of the product depend, first of all, on the type and type of plants from which the bees collected nectar. Nectar obtained from coniferous trees, heather, linden, cornflower, dandelion, lavender and rapeseed is prone to the formation of bitterness.
Bitter honey is honeydew and collected from blooming chestnut inflorescences ("candles"). A natural bee product in a mature form has the consistency of a thick syrup, which is prone to sugaring during storage. It contains only a few vitamins, but the product is a source of a large number of easily digestible simple sugars, organic acids, mineral salts and various organic substances, especially in combination with bee pollen and propolis (the useful role of the last two substances has not been fully explained by scientists).
It is extremely important that the product is not exposed to too high temperatures that destroy the biologically active substances contained in it. The optimum temperature at which honey is prepared for medicinal purposes should not exceed 45 ° C. To achieve the best effect, it is recommended to dissolve one tablespoon of honey in warm water (half a glass) and leave to infuse for 10-12 hours. A drink prepared in this way should be drunk in small portions (50 ml) on an empty stomach.
Important! It is recommended to store honey in a tightly closed container made of wood, ceramic or glass, as the product absorbs moisture and foreign odors. The treat is best stored in a dry, ventilated room at a temperature of +5 ... + 17°WITH.
Varieties of honey, which are inherent in bitterness
When talking about honey, for example, buckwheat, it will only mean that this type of bee product was collected from flowering buckwheat. The names indicated in the varieties of honey indicate the place of collection of sweet nectar.
| Variety of honey | Characteristics | Benefit |
| Rapeseed | In a liquid state almost transparent or straw color. After crystallization, it acquires a white or cream color. A characteristic feature is very fast crystallization. The smell of a liquid and crystallized product is faint, fresh, close to the smell of rapeseed flowers. | It has an extremely high nutritional value, contains numerous vitamins and minerals, an anti-cancer substance such as sulforaphane (organic sulfur), contains antibacterial substances, numerous carotenoids and antioxidants. |
| Fall | This is honey that does not consist of nectar, like any other. It arises from the collection by bees of viscous and sweet insect secretions on the leaves of trees in the form of drops. Its color is almost black and after crystallization, depending on whether it was collected on deciduous trees or on conifers, it is dark brown or light brown. | The product, collected from deciduous trees, has a soft and delicate aroma, a specific bitter taste, which is not suitable for everyone. The nectar collected from conifers has a softer, slightly resinous taste. |
| Buckwheat | It has a very characteristic appearance, its color is dark brown, almost black. It crystallizes very slowly. After thickening, the color becomes brighter. It has a very intense and pleasant aroma of buckwheat flowers, the taste is quite spicy, sweet and slightly burning. | The product is rich in routine, which favorably affects blood vessels and has strong antioxidant properties. Buckwheat has the ability to lower blood cholesterol. Therefore, the sweet product can be used as a dietary supplement in the prevention of hypertension, atherosclerosis and obesity. |
| Lavender | It belongs to the highest quality honey. It is obtained from nectar collected by bees from small bluish-purple flowers of narrow-leaved lavender. Color - light cream, light yellow or golden. It has a delicate aroma of lavender flowers, and in its intense aroma you can feel a little bitterness, the expressed spicy taste stays in the mouth for a long time. | Lavender has a very wide range of applications. It prevents the excessive development of the bacterial flora, exhibits anesthetic and sedative properties, has bactericidal and fungicidal effects, enhances intestinal motility and prevents bloating. |
| Dandelion | It has a pale cream color with a palette of shades from yellow to pale brown. This is one of the sweetest honeys, and the smell of the product is accompanied by a strong and intense aroma of dandelion flowers. It crystallizes quickly, with a maximum crystallization time of several weeks. | Favorably affects the liver and pancreas, significantly reduces appetite. Dandelion has an antidiabetic effect - due to the insulin contained in it, which prevents the rapid absorption of sugar into the blood. |
| From goldenrod | This is a rather rare type of honey in Russia, it is collected mainly in the south (Krasnodar Territory, Crimea). The collection is made from nectar of goldenrod, which has a light yellow or light amber color. Very sweet, although bitter and sour notes are clearly felt in the product. It smells good, the smell is clearly felt lemon freshness. It crystallizes quite quickly. | Goldenrod is one of the best plants for strengthening the urinary system. It is considered an excellent diaphoretic, tonic. Stimulates appetite. Plant-based honey can be used to relieve a runny nose, lung disease, and eliminate nausea. |
| Heather | It has a unique strong smell of heather, which tends to disappear quickly. This is due to the content of essential oils and more than 120 aromatic substances contained in nectar. It is characterized by a soft, slightly bitter, herbal taste and various shades: from lighter - amber to darker - the color of tea. The heather product has a very characteristic jelly-like consistency. | Heather flowers and heather honey can be used in the treatment of colds. The sweet product is ideal for the treatment of certain kidney diseases - it relieves inflammation well, it is recommended as a prophylactic for the formation of kidney stones. |
| Lime | It is considered the standard of honey taste. In liquid form, the product is sweet, after a while it becomes slightly sharp, in candied form it often has a slight bitterness. In the liquid state, it has a color from greenish yellow to a light amber hue. After crystallization, it acquires a white-yellow or golden yellow color. As a result of sugaring, the product takes on a fine-grained structure. | The infusion of linden flowers and honey collected from the plant is used as a diaphoretic, stimulating the activity of the sweat glands, and by increasing the excretion of sweat, the body is released from toxins. |
| Cornflower | It is characterized by a greenish-yellow color and intense taste, which remains in the mouth for a long time after consumption (as in the case of heather honey). The aroma strongly emphasizes the origin of the product - after opening the cans with the product, you can clearly smell the cornflower. It crystallizes very quickly. | It has a high lysozyme content. Thanks to this enzyme, honey has a strong antibiotic effect, inhibiting the growth of protozoa, fungi and bacteria. Strengthens the human immune system and increases resistance to infections. |
| Coniferous | It has a gray-green color and a spicy smell. The product has a delicate, although not very sweet, taste that is slightly bitter. It contains honey dew sugar, as well as a lot of dextrins, nitrogen compounds and trace elements. | It has anti-inflammatory, expectorant and antiseptic properties. It is used to enhance immunity in diseases of the lungs, joints and nervous system. It counteracts the negative impact of ionizing radiation on human organs and systems. |
| Chestnut | Edible chestnut nectar product. The color depends on the admixture of honey dew in the substance - it changes from tan to almost black. As a rule, it is a dark brown color, sometimes with an amber accent. The taste of this variety is very expressive, it is difficult to confuse it with other nectar - bitter-sweet, spicy, herbal. It is rich in mineral salts and tannins, has a high content of fructose, resistant to crystallization. | Positive effect on the cardiovascular system. Used in the treatment of varicose veins, thrombophlebitis. Regular use is able to regulate blood pressure. It has a high antibacterial effect, therefore it is recommended for colds and tonsillitis. It can also be successfully used to treat abrasions, wounds, cuts and burns. It is very effective in the treatment of chronic inflammation of the genitourinary system and kidneys. |
Nonspecific bitterness in honey varieties
Fermentation is a fairly common process that occurs mainly with natural honey. An artificial product does not ferment quickly, as it can be greatly diluted with additional substances. Fermentation is proof of the naturalness of the product. The reason for fermentation is not always due to improper storage. Fermentation occurs mainly in the product that was collected in early spring, as well as in the harvested very late (in heather and goldenrod).
Important! Good cornflower honey is difficult to obtain, since it is quite rare in its pure form due to the presence of impurities of nectar from other herbs.
Rapeseed honey, which contains many amino acids and sugar, is very often fermented. If the nectar is collected in a short time and too quickly "gets into the jar", it can begin to roam, increasing in volume. A fermented product behaves like a classic yeast dough, fed with sugar medium. To prevent fermentation, it is necessary to store honey in a dry and cool place, preferably in an open form, due to which a gradual evaporation of water will occur.
Storage at temperatures above + 20 ° C contributes to the deterioration of the product due to the inhibition of the action of enzymes. Therefore, the best temperature for storage is a few degrees below the above value, even if it contributes to quick sugaring. Fermentation can occur when a too liquid substance is exposed to the centrifugation process or when the product absorbs water from waterlogged air.
Thus, the yeast that starts the fermentation process becomes active and turns the sweet treat into alcohol or vinegar, which leads to the fact that it irretrievably loses its original properties and becomes unusable. Moreover, the product should not be eaten. But this does not mean that it must be thrown away. After fermentation, nectar can be used to feed the bees, but first it must be heated to a temperature of at least + 80 ° C.
Did you know? Honey was found in the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun, and surprisingly, it was still suitable for human consumption.
During heat treatment, yeast bacteria die. Honey with light or severe bitterness does not become less useful. The bitter aftertaste is just evidence that the plants from which it was collected contain substances that add bitterness to the final product.
