Transcript PROPERTIES OF FOOD: CHOOSE ONE AND GO (e.g. HONEY

PROPERTIES OF FOOD:
HONEY
What is honey?
Honey (
/ˈhʌni/) is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees (the genus Apis)
is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans.
Honey produced by other bees and insects has distinctly different properties. Honey bees transform nectar into honey by a process
of regurgitation, and store it as a primary food source in wax honeycombs inside the beehive.Beekeeping practices encourage
overproduction of honey so the excess can be taken from the colony.
Physical and chemical properties
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The physical properties of honey vary, depending on water content, the type of flora used
to produce it, temperature, and the proportion of the specific sugars it contains. Fresh
honey is a supersaturated liquid, containing more sugar than the water can typically
dissolve at ambient temperatures. At room temperature, honey is a supercooled liquid, in
which the glucose will precipitate into solid granules. This forms a semisolid solution of
precipitated sugars in a solution of sugars and other ingredients.
The melting point of crystallized honey is between 40 and 50 °C (104 and 122 °F),
depending on its composition. Below this temperature, honey can be either in
ametastable state, meaning that it will not crystallize until a seed crystal is added, or, more
often, it is in a "labile" state, being saturated with enough sugars to crystallize
spontaneously. The rate of crystallization is affected by the ratio of the main
sugars, fructose to glucose, as well as the dextrin content. Temperature also affects the
rate of crystallization, which is fastest between 13 and 17 °C (55 and 63 °F). Below 5 °C, the
honey will not crystallize and, thus, the original texture and flavor can be preserved
indefinitely.
Since honey normally exists below its melting point, it is a supercooled liquid. At very low
temperatures, honey will not freeze solid. Instead, as the temperatures become colder, the
viscosity of honey increases. Like most viscous liquids, the honey will become thick and
sluggish with decreasing temperature. While appearing or even feeling solid, it will
continue to flow at very slow rates. Honey has a glass transition between -42 and -51 °C (44 and -60 °F). Below this temperature, honey enters a glassy state and will
become an amorphous solid.
Acid content
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The average pH of honey is 3.9, but can range from 3.4 to 6.1. Honey contains
many kinds of acids, both organic and amino. However, the different types and
their amounts vary considerably, depending on the type of honey. These acids
may be aromatic or aliphatic (non-aromatic). The aliphatic acids contribute
greatly to the flavor of honey by interacting with the flavors of other
ingredients. Gluconic acid, for instance, is a flavor enhancer. The aromatic
acids, such as malic acid, come mostly from the flowers, adding to the aroma
and taste of the honey.
Honey can contain up to 18 of the 20 amino acids. However, amino acid content
is almost negligible in honey, accounting for only 0.05–0.1% of the
composition. The main acid is proline.
Organic acids comprise most of the acids in honey, accounting for 0.17–1.17%
of the mixture. Gluconic acid is the most prevalent. Gluconic acid is formed by
the actions of an enzyme called glucose oxidase. Other organic acids are
minor, consisting of formic, acetic, butyric, citric, lactic,
malic, pyroglutamic, propionic, valeric, capronic, palmitic, and succinic, among
many others.
Honey for Weight Loss
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Honey is an excellent natural home remedy for obesity and lowering
of cholesterol levels. It mobilizes the extra deposited fat in the body allowing it to be
utilized as energy for normal functions and purifying the blood as a result. Fasting on
honey and lemon-juice, an alkaline food, is highly beneficial in thetreatment of
obesity without the loss of energy and appetite. For this natural cure , mix one
teaspoon of raw honey (unheated) with the juice of two teaspoons of lime or lemon
juice in a glass of room temperature or lukewarm water (not boiling water!). Take this
remedy as a wake-up drink once in the morning on a empty stomach. Also commonly
taken after a big and oily meal, this simple delicious tonic is an effective digestive
and detox tonic. And of course, in every successful weight loss program, do bear in
mind that principles such as forming healthy eating habits and diets, and keeping to
a regular exercise regime over the long run are extremely important as well
Can honey be dangerous?
Sure, honey is one of the most natural, delicious sweeteners that money can buy,
but this golden, sticky liquid has a few well-known and lesser-known dangers that you
should know about before drizzling it over your cereal or toast. Dangerous
substances that are found in our modern environment can also show up in honey.
Because honey is made by bees and flowers, both of which are very susceptible to
environmental pollution, it's reasonable to expect that certain chemicals might appear
in honey. But, what kinds of chemicals have been found in honey, and just how
dangerous are they?
The Food Standards Agency in the UK routinely measures and monitors the levels of
heavy metals found in foods, and discovered varying amounts of aluminum, arsenic,
cadmium, copper, iron, lead, manganese and zinc in honey and other food samples.
The agency has established limits for how much heavy metal is allowed to be in
honey before it is considered unsafe, and an FSA report, published in 2007,
established that the levels of heavy metals found in honey did not exceed what is
allowed by law, and so the honey is still considered safe to eat. The bottom line?
There are trace amounts of heavy metals in honey, but not enough to do you harm,
according to the FSA.
Bees collect pollen from flowers to make honey, and many flowers are treated with
fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, whose chemicals can be found in the pollen.
Like the heavy metals mentioned above, pesticides have only been found in honey in
trace amounts, and are not at levels that are considered dangerous by government
agencies.
Traces of man-made antibiotics have been discovered in honey samples, mostly from
bee colonies and honey products from China. Unlike the heavy metals and
pesticides, the antibiotics found in the honey are not allowed to be in food in any
amount, and the honey in question was banned from being sold until it could test
negative for antibiotic contamination. No similar reports surfaced in the United States,
so unless your honey is imported from China, you have nothing to worry about.
The amounts of the above chemicals in honey varies greatly depending on the type
of honey, and the location of the hives. Because foods in America are so well
regulated by our government, none of these chemicals are going to reach dangerous
levels, and you can rest easily, knowing that your honey is probably very safe. It is
important, however, as an educated consumer, to be aware of the chemicals that are
very likely present in your honey, and to be mindful of the ways that
environmental pollution is affecting the things we eat and drink.
Modern uses of honey as a food
and in cooking
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The main uses of honey are in cooking, baking, as a spread on bread, and as
an addition to various beverages, such as tea, and as a sweetener in some
commercial beverages.
Honey is the main ingredient in the alcoholic beverage mead, which is also
known as "honey wine" or "honey beer". Historically, the ferment for mead was
honey's naturally occurring yeast. Honey is also used as an adjunct in
some beers.
Honey wine, or mead, is typically (modern era) made with a honey and water
mixture with a pack of yeast added for fermentation. Primary fermentation
usually takes 40 days, after which the must needs to be racked into a
secondary fermentation vessel and left to sit about 35–40 more days.
Honey in history, folklore and
culture
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ANCIENT TIMES
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Honey seeker depicted on 8000 year old cave painting. At Araña Caves in Spain.
Honey collection is an ancient activity. Humans apparently began hunting for honey at least 8,000 years ago, as
evidenced by a cave painting in Valencia, Spain. The painting is a Mesolithic rock painting, showing two honeyhunters collecting honey and honeycomb from a wild bee nest. The figures are depicted carrying baskets or
gourds, and using aladder or series of ropes to reach the wild nest.
In ancient Egypt, honey was used to sweeten cakes and biscuits, and was used in many other dishes. Ancient
Egyptian and Middle Eastern peoples also used honey forembalming the dead. The fertility god of Egypt, Min, was
offered honey.
Pliny the Elder devotes considerable space in his book Naturalis Historia to the bee and honey, and its many uses.
In the absence of sugar, Honey was an integral sweetening ingredient in Roman recipes, and references to its use
in food can be found in the work of many Roman authors including Athenaeus, Cato and Bassus. Some of these
are collected in the book Roman cookery.
The art of beekeeping in ancient China has existed since time immemorial and appears to be untraceable to its
origin. In the book "Golden Rules of Business Success" written by Fan Li (or Tao Zhu Gong) during the Spring and
Autumn Period, there are some parts mentioning the art of beekeeping and the importance of the quality of the
wooden box for bee keeping that can affect the quality of its honey.
Honey was also cultivated in ancient Mesoamerica. The Maya used honey from the stingless bee for culinary
purposes, and continue to do so today. The Maya also regard the bee as sacred (see Mayan stingless bees of
Central America).
Some cultures believed honey had many practical health uses. It was used as an ointment for rashes and burns,
and to help soothe sore throats when no other practices were available.
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Honey use and production has a long and varied history. In many cultures, honey has associations that go
beyond its use as a food. Honey is frequently used as a talisman and symbol of sweetness.
• A cura di Diletta Piccoli e Marco Salvatore