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Some Fascinating facts About Honey

By: Gillian Stell Honey is one of the mysterious foods that have tickled the imagination of tech savvy people in this age. It is difficult for them to fathom how hordes of nondescript insects can produce such an amazing product. This wonder food is fascinating for more reasons than one, and scientists are trying to find out more uses of honey than those known so far.

We are certainly not the first civilization to recognize honey as a truly marvelous food with many redeeming qualities. The Romans actually used honey to pay their taxes instead of gold. While this did not happen during the entire 1,000 year reign of the Roman Empire, it nonetheless remains true that honey was used to pay taxes.

Honey was a part of the human culture even before the Roman Empire existed. Not surprisingly, it was the only sweetening agent used in cooking until the usage of the refined sugar and molasses began. Even 9,000 years old cave paintings have been found to depict honey in them.

You can choose from nearly 300 different varieties of honey. It is also available in a wide assortment of colors and flavors. By the color and taste of honey you can know what flowers the bees collected the nectar from to make the honey.

Chemically speaking, honey is essentially naturally refined sugar. Although there is some variance, honey is basically: 38 percent fructose, 31 percent glucose, 1 percent sucrose, and 9 percent other sugars. The remainder is made up of vitamins, minerals, water, and various amino acids. It is in these vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that have scientists most interested in the possible medical benefits of honey.

Honey has been found with mummies that was still perfectly safe to eat. The reason why honey does not spoil (when properly stored) is due to the fact that it has bioactive agents that repel germs and bacteria. This is why honey can be used as a topical treatment for burns and other wounds because it prevents the injury from becoming infected. However, the bioactive agents begin to break down due to heat and light so honey must be stored in a cool, dark place in order to retain its bacteria-repelling properties.

The most common form of honey is liquid honey though honey is available in different varieties as well. The process of collecting honey involves removing it from the comb using a centrifuge, straining, or just simple gravity. You may want to filter it to remove all the impurities and air bubbles. If you strain it, chances are that the smaller particles and air bubbles will remain.

Honey is undoubtedly one of the sweetest substances on the earth and a perfect treat for taste buds. It is the only naturally refined sugar. It has loyally served the humanity from time unknown. It has properties to repel bacteria that made it safe to eat even after it laid buried beside the mummies for centuries. It indeed is a marvelous food. The scientists are busy discovering new medicinal uses of honey. Who knows what miracles lay hidden in it that can further benefit the humanity!!

Article Source: http://www.lifeweightloss.com

Gillian Stell is the chief editor for F honey, the web's premier resource for information about honey. For more articles on honey visit: www.flahoney.com/articles
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