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Madu téh jauh leuwih amis batan [[gula]], sarta moal bari, kusabab kandungan gulana anu luhur bisa maéhan [[baktéri]] ([[plasmolisis]]). [[Ragi]] ogé moal bisa tumuwuh dina madu, sabab kalembaban madu handap teuing. Kalembaban madu alami téh kira 14%-18%, sahingga mun kalembabanana tetep handapeun 18%, moal aya [[organisme]] nu bisa baranahan dina madu.
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The study of [[pollen]]s and [[spore]]s in raw honey ([[melissopalynology]]) can determine floral sources of honey. Because bees carry an [[electrostatic charge]], and can attract other particles, the same techniques of melissopalynology can be used in area environmental studies of [[radioactive decay|radioactive]] particles, [[dust]], or particulate [[pollution]].
A main effect of bees collecting nectar to make honey is [[pollination]], which is crucial for [[flowering plant]]s.
== Honey formation ==
Honey is laid down by bees as a food source. In cold weather or when food sources are scarce, bees use their stored honey as their source of energy. By contriving the bee [[swarming (honeybee)|swarm]] to make its home in a [[Beehive (beekeeping)|hive]], mankind has been able to semi-domesticate the insects. In the hive there are three types of bee: the single [[Queen (bee)|queen bee]], a seasonally variable number of [[drone (bee)|drone bees]] to fertilize new queens and some 20,000 to 40,000 [[worker bee]]s. The worker bees raise larvae and collect the nectar that will become honey in the hive. They go out, collect the sugar-rich flower nectar and return to the hive. As they leave the flower, bees release [[nasonov]] [[pheromone]]s. These enable other bees to find their way to the site by smell. Honeybees also release nasonov pheromones at the entrance to the hive, which enables returning bees to return to the proper hive. In the hive the bees use their honey stomachs to ingest and [[regurgitate]] the nectar a number of times until it is partially digested. It is then stored in the [[honeycomb]]. Nectar is high in both water content and natural yeasts which, unchecked, would cause the sugars in the nectar to ferment. After the final regurgitation, the honeycomb is left unsealed - bees inside the hive "fan" their wings creating a strong draft across the honeycomb. This enhances [[evaporation]] of much of the [[water]] from the nectar. The reduction in water content, which raises the sugar concentration, prevents [[fermentation]]. Ripe honey, as removed from the hive by the [[beekeeper]], has a long shelf life and will not ferment.
The beekeeper encourages overproduction of honey within the hive so that the excess can be taken without endangering the bees. When sources of foods for the bees are short the beekeeper may have to feed the bees other forms of sugar so they can survive.
==Composition of honey==
Honey is a mixture of sugars and other compounds. The specific composition of any batch of honey will depend largely on the mix of flowers consumed by the bees that produced the honey. Honey has a [[density]] of about 1500 [[kilogram|kg]]/[[metre|m<sup>3</sup>]] (50% denser than [[water]]) which means about 12.5 pounds per US gallon.
;Typical honey analysis
*[[Fructose]]: 38%
*[[Glucose]]: 31%
*[[Sucrose]]: 1%
*Water: 17%
*Other sugars: 9% ([[maltose]], [[melezitose]])
*[[Ash (analytical chemistry)|Ash]]: 0.17%
:<small>Source: [http://www.sugaralliance.org/desktopdefault.aspx?page_id=97 Sugar Alliance]</small>
The analysis of the sugar content of honey is used for detecting adulteration.
==Types of honey==
{{main|Monofloral honey}}
The flavour and colour of honey are largely determined by the [[nectar source]]. Common flavours of honey include [[Orange (fruit)|orange blossom]], [[tupelo]], [[buckwheat]], [[clover]], [[blackberry]], and [[blueberry]]. In [[Australia]], the most common honey is from the [[eucalyptus]] trees, such as redgum, yellow gum and [[stringybark]]. [[Tasmania]]n leatherwood honey is considered a [[delicacy]] for its unique flavour.
While it is rare for any honey to be produced exclusively from one floral source, honey will take on the flavor of the dominant flower in the region. Orange blossom, [[tupelo]], and [[sourwood]] are favoured types in the United States. [[Greece]] is famous for [[wild thyme]] honey, as is [[France]] for [[lavender]] and [[Black locust|acacia]] honey.
In 2005, [[New Zealand]] had 320,000 [[beehive (beekeeping)|beehives]] that produced an average annual crop of 8,600 tonnes of honey. These honeys cover a huge range of flavour types and properties. From mild to very strong flavoured, light to dark coloured, delicately perfumed to pungent, and even honeys with significant antibacterial properties.
While most commercially available honey is blended, monofloral honeys are especially valuable on the market. New Zealand is a major producer of several monofloral honeys: [[manuka]], [[viper's bugloss]], nodding thistle, kamahi, [[honeydew]], tawari, [[rewarewa]], and [[thyme]]. Another is [[rata (tree)]] honey, considered by many to be the best of New Zealand Honeys. It is white in colour, has a subtle, mild, yet rich and distinctive flavour — not overly sweet, almost salty.
===Honeydew===
Instead of taking nectar, bees can take [[Honeydew_(secretion)|honeydew]], which appears similar to honey and consists of the sweet secretions of [[aphid]]s or other plant sap-sucking insects. Most important of these is the aphid ''[[Marchalina hellenica]]'' which feeds on the sap of the [[Turkish Pine]]. Honeydew from pine forests has a "piney" taste and is prized for medicinal use in [[Europe]] and [[Turkey]]. Bees collecting this resource have to be fed protein supplements, as honeydew lacks the protein-rich pollen accompaniment gathered from flowers.
In New Zealand honeydew nectar is produced from a small, scaled insect (''Ultracoelostoma assimile'') living in the bark of two of New Zealand's beech forests, mostly black beech (black from the sooty mould growing on the surplus nectar covering the trunks and branches) and, to a lesser extent, red beech. In the early morning sunlight, the droplets of nectar glisten like the morning dew, giving the name honeydew.
[[Germany]]'s [[Black Forest]] is a well known source of honeydew-produced honeys.
Honeydew honey has a full aroma, is heady, almost pungent, and malty with a thick red amber color.
Honeydew has strong markets in some areas, but in many areas beekeepers are disappointed with a honeydew crop, as they are unable to market the stronger flavoured product. Honeydew has a much larger proportion of indigestibles than light honeys, which can cause [[Diseases of the honeybee|dysentery]] resulting in the death of colonies in areas with cold winters. Good beekeeping management requires the removal of honeydew prior to winter in colder areas.
==Use of honey==
The main uses of honey are in [[cooking]], baking, spreading on [[bread]] or toast, and as an addition to various beverages such as [[tea]]. Because honey is [[hygroscopic]] (drawing moisture from the air), a small quantity of honey added to a pastry recipe will retard staling. Raw honey also contains [[enzyme]]s that help in its [[digestion]], several [[vitamins]] and [[antioxidants]].
Honey is the main ingredient in the alcoholic beverage [[mead]], which is also known as "honey wine" (although this is inaccurate), and metheglin. It is also used as an [[adjunct (beer)|adjunct]] in [[beer]].
Honey is used in traditional [[folk medicine]] and [[apitherapy]], and is an excellent natural [[preservative]].
Most [[vegan]]s consider honey to be an [[animal product]] and avoid using it, instead choosing sweetening alternatives such as [[agave nectar]] or [[rice syrup]].
Without commercial beekeeping, large-scale [[fruit]] and [[vegetable]] farming and some of the [[seed]] industry would be incapable of sustaining themselves, since many crops are [[pollination|pollinated]] by migratory beekeepers who [[contract]] their bees for that purpose.
In ancient history, the [[Ancient Egypt]]ian and [[Middle-Eastern]] peoples also used honey for [[embalming]] the dead. However, only rich and powerful people had the luxury of this type of funeral.
==Honey in culture and folklore==
In many cultures, honey has associations that go far beyond its use as a food. In language and literature, religion and folk belief, honey is frequently a symbol or talisman for sweetness of every kind.
[[Image:Honey comb.jpg|thumb|Honey comb]]
The [[Old Testament]] contains many references to honey as a symbol for all that is pleasant and desirable. For example, the book of [[Exodus]] famously describes the [[Promised Land]] as a 'land flowing with [[milk]] and honey' (33:3). There, however, the Hebrew ''devash'' probably refers to the sweet syrup produced from the juice of the grape and especially the date. In contrast, bees honey is referred to explicitly in [[The Book of Judges]] when Samson found a swarm of bees and honey in the carcass of a lion (14:8). So important is honey in Jewish tradition that some scholars believe an exception was made for it in the dietary laws: Many insects and their products are considered unclean, but honey is [[kosher]]. The word "honey" appears 61 times in the [[King James Version]] of the [[Bible]].
In Jewish Tradition honey is also a symbol for the new year – „Rosh Ha Shana“. At the traditional meal for that holiday apple slices are dipped into honey and eaten to bring a sweet new year. New Years greetings for Rosh Ha Shana very often show honey and an apple and symbolize so the feast of Rosh Ha Shana.
Honey plays an important role in the festival of [[Madhu Purnima|Modhu Purnima]], celebrated by [[Buddhist]]s in [[India]] and [[Bangladesh]]. The day commemorates [[Buddha]]'s making peace among his disciples by retreating into the wilderness. The story goes that while he was there, a [[monkey]] brought him honey to eat. On Modhu Purnima, Buddhists remember this act by giving honey to [[monk]]s. The monkey's gift is frequently depicted in [[Buddhist art]].
In some parts of [[Greece]], it was formerly the custom for a [[bride]] to dip her fingers in honey and make the [[sign of the cross]] before entering her new home. This was meant to ensure sweetness in her married life, especially in her relationship with her [[mother-in-law]].
In popular culture, [[bear]]s are frequently depicted as eating honey, even though most bears actually eat a wide variety of foods, and bears seen at beehives are usually more interested in bee larvae than honey. Honey is sometimes sold in a bear-shaped [[jar]]. [[Teddy bear]]s are almost invariably associated with honey, possibly because of the influence of [[Winnie-the-Pooh]].
Many people believe that honey is more wholesome or healthy than [[refined sugar]], although most nutritionists say that all sweeteners are pretty much alike. Honey-based sweets are often sold as [[health food]].
'Honey,' along with variations like 'honey bun' and 'honeypot' and the contraction 'hon', has become a [[term of endearment]] in most of the English-speaking world. In some places it is used for loved ones; in others, such as the [[American South]], it is used when addressing casual acquaintances or even strangers.
==Medical uses for honey==
For around 2000 years, Honey has been used to treat a variety of ailments through topical application, though it was not until modern times that the cause of infection was understood. Now, modern research into the use of honey as an antimicrobial agent has revealed potential treating a variety of ailments. Antibacterial properties of honey are the result of the low [[water activity]] causing osmosis, [[hydrogen peroxide]] effect[http://www.worldwidewounds.com/2001/november/Molan/honey-as-topical-agent.html], and high acidity[http://bio.waikato.ac.nz/honey/honey_intro.shtml].
====Osmotic effect====
Honey is primarily a saturated mixture of two monosaccharides. This mixture has a low water activity; most of the water molecules are associated with the sugars and few remain available for microorganisms, so it is a poor environment for their growth.
==== Hydrogen peroxide====
Hydrogen peroxide in honey is activated by dilution. However, unlike medical hydrogen peroxide, commonly 3% by volume, it is present in a concentration of only 1 mmol/l in honey. Iron in honey oxidize the oxygen [[free radicals]] released by the hydrogen peroxide.
:glucose + H<sub>2</sub>O + O<sub>2</sub> → gluconic acid + H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>
When used topically as, for example a wound dressing, hydrogen peroxide is produced by dilution with body fluids. As a result, hydrogen peroxide is released slowly and acts as an antiseptic. Unlike 3% medical hydrogen peroxide, this slow release does not cause damage to surrounding tissue.
====Acidity====
The pH of honey is commonly between 3.2 and 4.5 [http://bio.waikato.ac.nz/honey/honey_intro.shtml]. This relatively acidic pH level prevents the growth of many bacteria responsible for infection.
====Medical applications====
The most common use of honey as an anti-microbial agent used for dressing wounds, burns and skin ulcers. This application has a long history in traditional medicine. Additionally, the use of honey reduces odors, reduces swelling, and reduces scarring; it also prevents the dressing from sticking to the healing wound. [http://bio.waikato.ac.nz/honey/honey_intro.shtml]
Some claim that one drop of honey directly on the eye can treat mild forms of [[conjunctivitis]]{{citation needed}}.
Widely believed to alleviate allergies, local honey has been shown to be more effective than placebos in controlled studies{{citation needed}}. This may be due to the fact that most seasonal allergies are caused by tree and grass pollens, which although honeybees do not actively collect these pollens, they may circulate within the hive when the bees are fanning at the end of a day's work, when airborne pollen concentrations are usually at their highest.
Research has shown that the folk remedy of using honey to treat wounds is founded in science; it acts as an antiseptic/antibacterial agent.
==== Honey and infants ====
Giving honey to infants can be hazardous because some infants can develop the disease known as [[Botulism#Infant botulism|infant botulism]]. This occurs because there is a natural bacterium in the honey which cannot be filtered out. The bacteria then produces a toxin, known as [[botulin toxin|botulin]], in the infant's intestines. After the infant has become more than a year old, the intestine has matured and the bacteria cannot grow. Even the honey in some processed foods can cause botulism. After an infant ingests this bacteria, the disease can occur within a few hours or even up to a week.
==Honey as a product==
===Honey processing===
*'''[[Comb honey]]''' A popular honey product. The honey is sold still in the wax comb. Comb honey was once packaged by installing [[basswood|wooden]] framework in special supers, but this labor intensive method is dying, and being replaced by plastic rings or cartridges. After removal from the hive, a clear cover is usually fitted onto the cartridge so customers can see the product.
*'''Raw honey''' Honey as it exists in the beehive or as obtained by extraction, settling or straining without adding heat. Raw honey contains some pollen and may contain small particles of wax. Local raw honey is sought after by [[allergy]] sufferers as the pollen impurities are thought to lessen the sensitivity to [[hay fever]] (see 'Medical Applications' above).
*'''Chunk honey''' Honey packed in widemouth containers consisting of one or more pieces of comb honey surrounded by extracted liquid honey. This type is preferred in the US South.
*'''Strained Honey''' or '''filtered honey''' Honey which has been passed through a mesh material to remove particulate material (pieces of wax, [[propolis]], other defects) without removing pollen. Preferred by the health food trade - it has a cloudy appearance due to the included pollen, but it also tends to crystallize more quickly than ultrafiltered honey.
*'''Ultrafiltered honey''' Honey processed by very fine filtration under high pressure to remove all extraneous solids and pollen grains. Ultrafiltered honey is very clear and has a longer shelf life, because it crystallizes more slowly. Preferred by the supermarket trade.
==Precautions==
Honey is not always edible. Because it is gathered from flowers in the wild, there are situations in which it may be toxic.
There are several types of honey that are known to be toxic to humans. The most common of these in the northern hemisphere, popularly known as Mad Honey, is produced from the flowers of [[rhododendron]]s, [[mountain laurel]]s and [[azalea]]s. The nectar of these plants may contain [[grayanotoxin]], a compound which is both psychoactive and poisonous to humans but harmless to bees. The effects of Mad Honey have been reported in Western literature as early as 401 BC (See Xenophon's description of the effects of toxic honey in the ''Anabasis'' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anabasis_%28Xenophon%29])
The shape of the azalea flower, however, makes access to nectar difficult for honeybees. Furthermore, during the time when azaleas bloom, there are usually other flowers available that are more appealing to the honeybee. Thus, lethal honey is rarely encountered.
Toxic honey may also result when bees are in close proximity to tutu bushes (''Coriaria arborea'') and the vine hopper insect (''Scolypopa australis''). Both are found throughout New Zealand. Bees gather honeydew produced by the vine hopper insects feeding on the tutu plant. This introduces the poison tutin into honey. Only a few areas in New Zealand (Coromandel Peninsula, Eastern Bay of Plenty and the Marlborough Sounds) frequently produce toxic honey. Symptoms of tutin poisoning include vomiting, delirium, giddiness, increased excitability, stupor, coma and violent convulsions. It is generally agreed that as little as one teaspoon of toxic honey may produce severe effects in humans. In order to reduce the risk of tutin poisoning, humans should not eat honey taken from feral hives in the risk areas of New Zealand. Since December 2001, New Zealand beekeepers have been required to reduce the risk of producing toxic honey by closely monitoring tutu, vine hopper, and foraging conditions within 3 km of their apiary.
Nonetheless, honey, [[corn syrup]] and other natural [[sweetener]]s are a potential and acute threat to [[infant]]s. Harmless to adults because of a mature person's stomach acidity, [[botulinum]] [[spore]]s are widely present in the environment and are among the few bacteria that can survive in honey. Since an infant's digestive juices are non-acidic, ingestion of honey creates an ideal medium for botulinum spores to grow and produce sufficient levels of toxins to cause infant '''[[botulism]]'''. For this reason, it is advised that neither honey, nor any other sweetener, be given to children under the age of 18 months. Once a child is eating solid food, the digestive juices are acidic enough to prevent the growth of the spores.
==Other descriptions==
*'''Blended honey''' A homogeneous mixture of two or more honeys differing in floral source, color, flavor, density or geographic origin.
*'''Churned honey''' or '''cremed honey''' See [[whipped honey]].
*'''Crystallized honey''' Honey in which some of the glucose content has spontaneously crystallized from solution as the monohydrate. Also called "granulated honey."
*'''Set honey''' All honey will eventually set or granulate and this process can be reversed by gently warming the honey to remelt it. Some honeys set naturally with large granules and taste a little like granulated sugar in honey. Others set like Royal Icing - very hard and unspreadable. To overcome this problem beekeepers will mix in a small amount of fine grained honey before it sets and then gently stir the honey to prematurely fix the setting before it becomes hard thereby producing a "soft set " honey.
*'''Honey fondant''' See [[whipped honey]].
*'''Spun honey''' See [[whipped honey]].
In addition, '''organic honey''' is honey produced, processed, and packaged in accordance with national regulations, and certified as such by some government body or an independent organic farming certification organization.-->
== Baca ogé ==
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