The color of any substance depends on the structure of the molecules of the compounds included in it. Collecting nectar from various plants, the bee, like a skilled artist, transfers the palette of flowers into the color of honey. Of the millionths of a milligram of paint, it makes up the picture that we are used to calling the color of honey. Its diversity depends on the compounds contained in the petals, stamens, and pistils called anthocyanins. They belong to the chemical group of flavonoids, the difference in structure of which explains the individual color of flowers. Anthocyanins in plant cells are present in combination with glucose. The same flower can contain several anthocyanins of different composition and structure. We see this as a play of colors of the same petal: there are yellow, pink, purple, and other shades.

Previously, the variety of colors of anthocyanins was explained by their indicator properties, that is, the ability to change color depending on the acidity of the environment. Later, the influence of other factors was established, including the property of some metals to form colored complexes with flavonoids. For example, potassium ions create complex compounds with a purple color, while calcium and magnesium ions create blue complexes. The appearance of methyl groups in the structure of anthocyanins causes a red color. Many yellow flowers contain yellow flavones and flavonols. They are also found in compounds with glucose. Water-soluble flavonoids pass with nectar into honey. Plants of the families Asteraceae (sunflower, sow thistle, burdock), legumes (beans, peas, clover, alfalfa, soybeans), noricaceae (mullein) affect the color of honey through flavonoids contained in flowers with a five-membered furan cycle - aurones (derivatives of 2-benzylidene coumaron). Aurones are almost always associated with glucose, that is, they are present in plants in the form of glycosides and have a yellow or yellow-orange color.

Plants of the buckwheat, buckthorn, legume, lily, and St. John's wort families contain anthracene derivatives combined with various sugars: glucose, rhamnose, arabinose. The anthracene moiety (aglycone) is often a derivative of chrysacin (dihydroxyanthraquinone). These derivatives are found in honey and contain, along with hydroxyl groups, methyl, methoxyl, and carboxyl groups, which are color enhancers or auxochromes. The result of the action of these groups is the appearance of a yellow, orange or red tint. Compounds of these substances with sugars are highly soluble in water.

The laxative effect of honey, especially its foam, is partly due to the presence, albeit in very small quantities, of chrysacin derivatives, which enhance the peristalsis of the large intestines (the effect of medicinal herbal remedies is based precisely on this property). Foamed honey has been used as a laxative since the Middle Ages. The honey was heated for a long time, skimming off the foam until it completely disappeared. Honey prepared in this way had a strengthening effect, and foam had a laxative effect.

Hawthorn flavonoids give honey not only a reddish tint, but also cardiotonic properties, recommended for use in functional disorders of the heart, hypertension, and arrhythmia.

In the USA, honey from the succession is highly valued. Its flowers contain more than ten flavonoids and a significant amount of carotenoids. Glycosidic compounds of flavonoids, passing through nectar into honey, give it not only its yellow color, but also diuretic, diaphoretic and antiallergic properties. Flavonoids exhibit P-vitamin activity, antispasmodic, choleretic effects on the human body.

One of the common structural elements of anthocyanins, flavones and flavonols are phenolic hydroxyls.

Phenolic hydroxyl also contains the amino acid tyrosine, present in honey. When combined with iron ions, it gives a violet color that turns black, so honey cannot be stored in a metal container for a long time. (In the “Russian Folk Medicine Book” it is recommended to lubricate the abscessing gum with a black substance formed by the interaction of a calcined rusty nail with honey at night. The abscess soon breaks and the swelling subsides.)

Among flavonols, rutin is the most commonly found in plants. It is isolated from buckwheat flowers and used as a capillary-strengthening agent.

The color created with the help of flavonoids is enhanced by bees with a palette of tiny pollen grains containing carotenoids. To date, about 70 substances belonging to this type of compound have been isolated from various plants. Carotenoids contain a system of conjugated multiple bonds that affect the color of pollen. We see it yellow, brown, red, light green, purple - depending on the plant that the bee visited.

In light, phenolic hydroxyls are oxidized, and the color of carotenoids, flavonols, flavones, and anthocyanins changes. Oxidation is facilitated by oxidase enzymes, which result in the formation of hydrogen peroxide, which oxidizes carotenoids well. Catalase present in honey breaks down peroxide into water and oxygen. The more it is, the longer the color of honey remains. Catalase gets into honey with pollen. When honey is heated, it is easily destroyed and its effect on the color of the product disappears. Since the age and breed of bees influence the amount and composition of pollen, the color of honey and its stability are also directly related to these factors. The stability of the yellow color of honey carotenoids is also influenced by lipoxidase, in the presence of which the carotenoids are also oxidized with the disappearance of their characteristic color.

There is an opinion among beekeepers that real buckwheat honey turns grey. The reason for this is the oxidation reaction of phenolic hydroxyls. Polyphenoloxidases, enzymes found in plants, also contribute.

Oxidation also affects other components of honey. In particular, the amino acid tyrosine is easily oxidized by the enzyme tyrosinase and produces the dark-colored substance melanin.

Honey glucose is oxidized into gluconic acid with the participation of glucose oxidase. The darker the honey, the more acidic it is. For example, acacia honey has less acidity than linden honey, and it is lighter in color, sunflower honey has more acidity than coriander honey, and the latter is lighter in color. Glucose oxidase enters honey from the pharyngeal glands of bees. If the honey plants are removed from the hives, the nectar remains in the bee's crop longer, and the honey is more enriched with glucose oxidase. In this case, it acquires a darker color.

Glucose and other reducing sugars, as well as furfural and hydroxymethylfurfural, enter into condensation reactions with amino acids to form dark-colored products - melanoidins, which contribute to the darkening of honey when heated and long-term storage. As the heating temperature increases, the darkening of honey increases. As free amino acids react, the increase in condensation products decreases and after 4.5 months of storage, honey darkens more slowly. There is no difference in the darkening of filtered and unfiltered honey.

To explain the color of honey, we compared the amount of total nitrogen in it and the color intensity of the product. It has been observed that as total nitrogen increases, honey clarity decreases. These findings indirectly indicate a high probability of condensation reactions of free amino acids with carbonyl compounds, in particular with glucose. There is also a correspondence between the transparency of honey and the content of oxides of alkali and alkaline earth metals in honey ash. It has been noticed that if a flower produces light-colored honey, the wax will be dark in color, and vice versa. To confirm this, we note: when bees work on a dandelion, white wax with a creamy tint is formed, and the color of honey can be from bright yellow to dark amber. When bees work on a sunflower, the honey turns out golden (light amber), and the wax turns white. Linden honey (crystallized) is white, and wax is yellow.

Bees produce wax by consuming honey and bee bread. Consequently, the coloring substances of beebread processed by bees, with transparent honey, color the wax, but the coloring substances of honey do not color the wax. Honey does not change color from the dyes contained in the wax.

The color of honey depends on natural factors: the composition of the nectar, the properties of the soil, the duration of the honey harvest, the nectar productivity of the plant, and the breed of bees. Human influence also plays a certain role. Thus, honeydew honey contains many amino acids that can enter into condensation reactions with carbonyl compounds. Plants selectively absorb various metals from the soil and mineral components that affect the color of honey and enter the nectar in different quantities. With a long bribe, honey is always more transparent than with a short bribe. Bees of different breeds and depending on the length of the proboscis choose to collect nectar the most accessible plants for themselves, containing nectar of different composition and color. Most honey plants delight our eyes with golden, amber, and yellow honey of varying intensity. Sweet clover, fireweed, and rapeseed produce honey with a greenish tint, and honey from buckwheat, angelica, red clover, cranberry, and rowan - with a reddish tint. If the bees have worked hard in the burdock thickets, the honey will be dark olive-colored.

Different qualitative and quantitative amino acid compositions of honeys determine different changes in their color when heated under the same conditions. This is confirmed by the fact that clover honey almost does not change its color when heated, while buckwheat honey darkens. The color of honeydew honey changes the most when heated.

The color of freshly pumped honey changes over time. The fragrant amber stream from the honey extractor, when light hits it, fascinates with the play of unique colors. But after some time the color becomes relatively stable. Highly volatile aromatic oils (in their pure form, not only yellow, but also red, blue, green, violet) partially evaporate from a loosely closed container of honey.

So, the reasons for coloring honey in one color or another are very different, and therefore it is not entirely correct to recommend honey of light or dark shades for the treatment of specific diseases. Moreover, from the same plant, but growing in different climatic conditions, bees collect honey, which is not the same color.

If necessary, it is more correct to take the advice of S. Mladenov. He recommends using mountain honey for respiratory diseases, as well as oregano, thyme, and linden; for disorders of the digestive and intestinal tract - steppe, with mint, thyme, oregano; for heart disease - steppe, forest, lavender, mint. For kidney diseases - chestnut, from field herbs, fruit crops. Therefore, both light and dark honeys can be used to treat the same diseases.

To preserve the natural color of honey, it is necessary to exclude condensation reactions of aldehydes and amino acids. This can be achieved by storing it at a temperature not exceeding 10°C and supplying bees with drinking water with the lowest possible content of alkali and alkaline earth metal salts. Color preservation is also facilitated by storing honey in places that exclude direct exposure to sunlight and oxidation of hydroxyl groups of flavones by atmospheric oxygen, which causes honey to darken. The ingress of iron salts is most likely when bees visit water sources with a high content of iron hydroxide. Such changes remind us that apiary hygiene also affects the quality of honey.

O.N. MASHENKOV

yellow honey

Connoisseurs and lovers of honey have noticed that the product may vary in color. Honey can be white, yellow, amber, cream, brown, brown and even black. A person who is not experienced in beekeeping may be interested in the factors involved in acquiring a particular color of a sweet product. The secret is simple - the color of honey depends entirely on the plants from which the nectar was collected by hardworking bees.

Most often, honey is yellow in color. Honey of this color can be of flower varieties. Meadow herbs give honey its yellow color. When fresh, it must have a transparent structure, a characteristic aroma, taste and color.

Why is honey yellow?

Yellow honey can come from yellow sweet clover. compares favorably with other varieties. It has excellent taste. A separate article can be written about the usefulness and vitamin composition of sweet clover honey. The yellow clover plant itself is medicinal. And honey obtained from the nectar of yellow sweet clover has medicinal properties.

Sweet clover honey does not lend itself to crystallization for a long time. And only after hardening, the viscous mass becomes white. Honey from yellow sweet clover is indicative for nursing mothers, as it increases lactation. In addition, many respiratory diseases and skin damage can be more easily cured with the help of sweet clover honey.

Modern beekeeping distinguishes three main types of honey: flower, mixed, honeydew.

Flower varieties of honey are obtained after bees process nectar from plants. If bees collect nectar primarily from one type of plant, the resulting honey is called monofloral honey. If you collect nectar from several honey plants at once, you get.

It is obtained when honeydew is collected by bees: secretions from leaves, buds, stems; special secretions of insects.

Mixed honey is a product obtained from honeydew and flower varieties. Polyfloral honey varieties include: steppe, mountain, meadow, forest and steppe.

Yellow honey can be obtained by blending. Using this method, indicators such as aroma, taste and color are equalized. You can mix honey manually and automatically.

White honey

Among the wide variety, the most common varieties of honey can be distinguished.

obtained from white acacia. Its structure is transparent. Crystallization does not occur soon. Sometimes it may turn yellowish. This variety of honey is revered by gourmets. It has a delicate taste and exquisite aroma.

Cornflower honey may be yellow in color. Field blue cornflowers are good honey plants. Honey acquires a slight bitterness and almond smell.

It may also have a yellow color. But the color palette can be wide: starting from light yellow and ending with dark cherry color. Dark-colored cornflower blue honey may have just been pumped out. When honey from cornflower nectar crystallizes, it acquires a dark yellow color with coarse grains. Honey has a pungent taste and a very pleasant aroma.

It may also have a yellow color. During crystallization, small grains are formed. Honey with pleasant taste and non-intrusive aroma.

Half sunflower honey is golden or yellow in color before it begins to thicken. The taste contains a slight bitterness, and the aroma is too weak, but pleasant. crystallizes quickly. In this case, the grains are large and bright yellow.

The large territory of the CIS countries creates different climatic conditions for the growth of honey plants. Each individual region has its own range of plants that are a source of nectar.

Honey varies based on many factors: land, color, place of origin and method of production.

Based on color, honey can be divided into the following groups:

Transparent, colorless honey - raspberry, acacia, white clover, white sweet clover.

Light yellow honey - from yellow sweet clover, sage, red clover, linden, field.

Yellow honey - pumpkin, sunflower, cucumber, mustard, alfalfa, meadow.

Dark yellow honey - from heather, buckwheat, tobacco, chestnut, forest.

Honey of dark colors - from cherry tree, honeydew, citrus.

Honey may vary in texture and thickness. Honey of a very liquid consistency is obtained from acacia and clover. Liquid types also include rapeseed, linden and. Dandelion and sainfoin produce, on the contrary, thick honey. Honeydew honey has a sticky structure. differs in gelatinous structure.

Natural honey of any type has a beneficial effect on humans and their vital systems. Almost all types of honey have an effect on the functioning of the heart and vascular system, strengthen the immune system, increase potency and stimulate normal intestinal function.

Beekeepers have noticed the following color dependence of the nectar source on the color of the final honey product:

An ordinary apricot produces brown-yellow honey. Acacia honey will be pale yellow. Natural honey from hawthorn turns brown. From Veronica the honey will be white. Nectar collected from white mustard will give honey a lemon-yellow color. Yellow clover will serve as the basis for obtaining honey with a golden color. Oak nectar will give honey a yellow color with a greenish tint. But the honey from Tatar honeysuckle will be yellow-hot in color.

Norway maple honey produces dark yellow honey, while sycamore maple honey produces slightly grayish-yellow honey. Dandelion will reward the honey with a bright orange color similar to its blossoms.

Walnut honey turns out yellow with a greenish tint. Rapeseed honey produces a bright lemon color. Natural radish honey takes on a pale yellow color. Honey from apple and plum trees turns out yellow with a cloudy tone.

Before purchasing honey, you need to make sure of its quality and naturalness. If honey does not exude a pleasant, characteristic aroma, the product may be adulterated. You also need to make sure that there are no air bubbles in the honey, which indicate fermentation of the product.

We all know that honey comes in different forms. It can be denser or more liquid, almost white or completely brown. However, the main indicator of the division of honey into varieties is its origin. According to this criterion, honey is divided into flower and honeydew. Floral, in turn, can be pure or mixed. There is also such a separate concept as honey dew. This substance may not be produced by bees at all; for example, in New Zealand, insects from beech forests produce an analogue of honey from black and red beech trees. The drops of nectar that they leave on the leaves glisten in the sun - hence the name.

It is easy to distinguish between the types of flower honey - they are named after the plant from which it is collected. The most common varieties in our region are: flower, linden, buckwheat, acacia, clover and alfalfa. Alfalfa honey, for example, has a mild flavor and aroma; has a light golden color; can be quite watery. Clover honey is even lighter - in the light it may seem almost colorless; Clover honey has an unobtrusive, interesting aroma and taste. Clover honey is collected mainly from white clover.

Linden honey is legendary. It is recognized as one of the best varieties in the world due to a whole bunch of its advantages. Firstly, it has an unforgettable taste and aroma, which, by the way, will vary somewhat depending on the type of linden and the place where it grows. Secondly, the medicinal qualities of linden honey cannot be immediately listed - it is also the first remedy for various colds, a wound-healing, strengthening and anti-inflammatory agent. The color of linden honey is not only white, but also golden, sometimes with a green tint. When it crystallizes, it becomes creamy.

Another legend is acacia honey. Like linden, it is very widely popular because of its taste, and is also used throughout folk medicine. It is considered very useful for children and is used to treat diseases of the genitourinary system. For anemia, it is recommended to use buckwheat honey. It has a reddish hue ranging from golden red to brown. It is superior to most types of honey due to its abundance of vitamins.

In general, flower honey can also be divided into meadow and forest honey. Meadow honey is lighter in color and its range of aromas differs from forest honey. Meadow honey is first-grade honey (lower grades are produced using a different technology); has a golden color, its main components are: thyme, clover, thyme, sage, alfalfa and other herbs. Forest honey is mainly produced from nectar collected by bees from bushes, including: blackberry, hawthorn, rowan. Forest honey also contains herbs and trees. The range of colors of forest honey is wide: from almost transparent golden to thick dark brown.

Flower honey often contains some percentage of honeydew, that is, honey that is obtained from the processed nectar of other insects (honeydew). Honeydew honey is mixed with forest varieties and helps create a special flavor. By the way, some types of forest honey can be dangerous to humans. They are also called drunken honey or poisonous honey; in appearance they differ little from ordinary honey. This substance causes something like food poisoning, but does not cause serious harm to the body. Based on the final result, honey can be divided into filtered, unfiltered, honeycomb and artificial. Comb honey is especially labor-intensive, because the cells need to be secured so that they do not break during transportation. The so-called artificial honey is a product of bees when they are specially fed with sugar or honey from the previous harvest. Its value characteristics are much lower than those of ordinary honey that has been filtered.

Varieties and varieties of honey

Acacia(white acacia) honey is considered one of the best varieties. In liquid form it is transparent, when crystallized (sugarified) it becomes white, fine-grained, reminiscent of snow. Bees also collect nectar from yellow locust flowers. This honey is very light, but upon crystallization it becomes greasy, white, and medium-grained. Yellow acacia honey is also one of the best varieties.

Barberry honey golden yellow in color, aromatic and delicate in taste. Bees energetically process the nectar of the flowers of the berry bush barberry, which grows in the European part of Russia, in the Crimea and is widely cultivated as a valuable hemostatic agent.

Budyakov honey belongs to the first class. It can be colorless, greenish, golden (light amber), and has a pleasant aroma and taste. When crystallized, it becomes fine-grained. Bees energetically collect it from the beautiful crimson flowers of a weed with prickly stems and grayish leaves - thistle.

Borage honey obtained from the nectar of large beautiful blue flowers of borage - borage. Borage is grown as a valuable honey plant and medicinal plant. Honey has a pleasant taste, transparent, light.

Cornflower honey- greenish-yellow in color, has a pleasant aroma reminiscent of almonds and a peculiar, slightly bitter taste. Blue cornflower, or field cornflower, is a good honey plant.

Heather honey obtained from the nectar of small pink flowers of the branched evergreen shrub common heather, common in the western and northern steppe regions of Ukraine, in the western and northwestern regions of Russia, and in Belarus. Heather honey is dark, dark yellow and red-brown in color with a weak aroma, pleasant or tart, bitter taste. Refers to low grades of honey. It has the ability to thicken into a jelly with a large number of air bubbles that can rise to the surface. When stirred or shaken, the gelatinous structure of heather honey is destroyed and it becomes liquid again, but later thickens again. This property is called thixotropy. Buckwheat honey also has slight thixotropic properties. After removing protein substances from heather honey, the thixotropic properties are lost.

Mustard honey- a product collected from large yellow flowers of white mustard, growing in Ukraine, Belarus, and the European part of Russia. In its liquid state it has a pleasant golden yellow color, and later acquires a yellow-cream hue. Crystallizes into small crystals. It has a pleasant aroma and sweet taste. It has high nutritional and medicinal properties, due to which it is recommended for respiratory diseases.

Pea honey collected from the flowers of the thin-leaved pea, which grows in the steppes of Siberia.

Buckwheat honey They are produced everywhere, but mainly in the central and southern regions of Russia and Ukraine. The color of honey ranges from dark yellow and reddish to dark brown; It has a distinctive pungent taste and pleasant aroma. It crystallizes into a homogeneous, most often coarse-grained mass of dark yellow color. Some tasters note that when eating buckwheat honey, it “tickles the throat.”
In most cases, buckwheat honey is assessed as high-grade and having medicinal properties. It contains more protein and iron than other botanical honeys. In this regard, such honey is recommended to be taken in the treatment of anemia. People say: “Dark honey is very useful for pale-faced people.”

Angelica honey bees collect from the flowers of angelica officinalis, widespread in Russia, Crimea, Belarus, and Ukraine.

Sweet clover honey- very light, white or light amber. It has a delicate pleasant taste and aroma reminiscent of vanilla. Rated as one of the best varieties. Bees collect it from the bright yellow flowers of sweet clover or yellow clover. It crystallizes quickly. Due to its high nutritional and medicinal qualities, it is very popular. Recommended for respiratory diseases, colds, headaches, insomnia. In the USA, sweet clover honey is rated as one of the best varieties; it makes up 50-70% of the total amount of all honeys that go on sale.

Blackberry honey bees collect from the flowers of widespread blackberry bushes. It is transparent like water and has high taste and medicinal qualities and a delicate aroma.

Snakehead honey- light, transparent, with a pleasant aroma and taste. Bees prepare it from the nectar of the blue-violet flowers of the Moldavian darter, which grows in the Caucasus, Altai, and Ukraine. The snakehead is one of the very valuable honey plants, as it contains a large amount of high-sugar nectar with a lemon smell.

Willow honey- golden yellow in color, upon crystallization it becomes fine-grained, acquires a creamy tint, and has high taste. Bees energetically collect it from the flowers of various types of willow trees and shrubs, of which there are about 170.

Hyssop honey According to its organoleptic properties, it belongs to first-class samples. Bees collect the nectar for this honey from the dark blue flowers of the medicinal and honey-bearing subshrub plant hyssop.

Stone honey- rare and unique. It is collected by wild bees, depositing it in the crevices of rock cliffs. This honey is fawn in color, has a pleasant aroma, and tastes good. Honeycombs contain little wax and are a single crystallized substance that must be broken off into pieces, like candy, to be consumed. Unlike regular bee honey, rock honey is almost non-sticky and therefore does not require special containers. It is well preserved without changing its qualities for several years. Often also called Abkhazian honey.

Chestnut honey It has a dark color, has a weak aroma, and has an unpleasant taste. To prepare this honey, bees collect nectar from the flowers of the chestnut tree, which grows mainly in the Crimea and Transcaucasia. Bees also produce honey from the nectar of the bell-shaped white and pink flowers of the ornamental horse chestnut tree. This honey, unlike the first one, is transparent (colorless), liquid, but crystallizes easily and quickly, and sometimes tastes bitter. Chestnut honey is classified as low-grade.

Fireweed honey- transparent, with a greenish tint, upon crystallization it becomes white in the form of snow grains, and sometimes resembles a creamy or fine-grained mass. When heated, it turns yellow, has a very weak delicate aroma and does not have a distinct honey taste, so buyers often do not recognize its naturalness. This honey has to be blended more often than other varieties. Bees make honey from the nectar of the beautiful lilac-red flowers of fireweed (fireweed), which is quite common in the wild.

clover honey- light, almost colorless, transparent, sometimes with a greenish tint, with a delicate aroma and a pleasant, unique taste. It quickly crystallizes into a solid white finely crystalline mass. Refers to high-grade, first-class honey.

Maple honey It belongs to the light varieties of honey and has excellent taste. Bees energetically collect it from the beautiful yellowish-green flowers of Norway maple, which is found in almost all forests of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.

Cranberry honey produced by bees from the nectar of cranberry flowers. It has a beautiful color, delicate taste, very aromatic, less sweet than other types of honey (probably due to high acidity). In the USA it is in great demand.

Lavender honey belongs to the category of first-class. This golden-colored, transparent honey, which has a delicate aroma and pleasant taste, is produced by bees from the nectar of light blue or bluish-violet flowers of the perennial essential oil plant lavender. Lavender is cultivated on the southern coast of Crimea, the Kuban and the Caucasus. Lavender honey is first-class.

Linden honey It is collected everywhere and is considered one of the best among the population. Due to its exceptionally pleasant taste, it is highly valued. A pungent taste is characteristic of Central Russian honeys and, in particular, of Ufa “lipets”. Linden Far Eastern honey is very delicate and aromatic. Freshly extracted from a honey extractor, this honey is very fragrant, usually transparent, and faintly yellow or greenish in color. Ufa (Bashkir) linden honey, the so-called Lipets, is colorless, upon crystallization it becomes white, with a golden hue and a coarse-grained mass. Amur (Far Eastern) linden honey is cloudy-yellowish in color. All samples of linden honey have an excellent specific aroma and wonderful taste, despite the feeling of slight bitterness, which, however, quickly disappears. Honey crystallizes into a solid white mass and has a coarse-grained deposit. Crystals of calcium oxalate were found in linden honey. It is believed that the content of these crystals is characteristic only of linden honey. Their detection can serve as an additional sign of identifying the variety of linden honey. Bees produce linden honey from the nectar of linden flowers, which has high honey-bearing qualities. Linden honey has valuable nutritional and medicinal properties. Its antibacterial effect is manifested against gram-positive and gram-negative microorganisms, as well as against ciliates, amoebas and trichomonas. It contains volatile, non-volatile and slightly volatile antimicrobial substances, has an expectorant, anti-inflammatory and. mild laxative effect. It is successfully used for diseases of the respiratory tract (sore throat, runny nose, laryngitis, bronchitis, bronchial asthma), as a means to strengthen the heart, for inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, for diseases of the kidneys and gall bladder. It has a good local effect on purulent wounds and burns. Sometimes linden honey has a light yellow or greenish-gray color, which occurs from the ingestion of honeydew honey. (Linden honeydew is common.) In folk medicine, linden honey is widely used for colds, mainly as a diaphoretic.

Burdock honey It has a sharp spicy odor, is dark olive in color, and is very viscous. To obtain this honey, bees collect nectar from small dark pink flowers of tomentose burdock and greater burdock. This nectar has a beautiful yellowish color, sometimes it can have a greenish tint, and has a strong, pleasant spicy aroma. Honey collected from the flowers of tomentose burdock (spider web) has an olive color, light, viscous, and easily rolls onto a spoon.

Meadow honey (Forbs) It has a golden yellow, sometimes yellow-brown color, a pleasant aroma, and good taste. Bees produce meadow honey from the nectar of various meadow flowers.

Alfalfa honey bees collect from lilac or purple flowers of alfalfa. Freshly pumped honey has various shades - from completely transparent to golden amber; quickly crystallizes, acquiring a white color, and its consistency resembles thick cream. The color depends on the water content: the lower the water content, the lighter the color of the honey. This honey has a pleasant aroma and specific taste. If honey is stored in a warm room, it can remain liquid for a year.

Raspberry honey It belongs to the light varieties of honey of the highest quality, has a pleasant aroma and good taste. Raspberry comb honey has a delicate taste and seems to melt in your mouth. Bees make this honey from the nectar of forest and garden raspberry flowers. Due to the fact that the raspberry flower is tilted down, the bee, when extracting nectar, is as if under a natural canopy or umbrella and can work even during rain.

Melissa honey has a transparent color, pleasant aroma and taste. Bees prepare it from the nectar of light purple or pink lemon balm flowers with a strong smell. Bees love the smell of lemon balm.

carrot honey It has a dark yellow color and a strong aroma. Bees produce it from the nectar of the fragrant white flowers of the umbrella-shaped inflorescences of a cultivated biennial plant - carrots.

Mint honey bees produce from the nectar of the fragrant flowers of the perennial essential oil and spicy plant peppermint, which produces abundant amounts of high-quality honey. This honey has an amber color and a pleasant mint aroma. Peppermint honey is considered high quality in Western Europe. This honey contains a lot of vitamin C and has a choleretic, sedative, analgesic and antiseptic effect.

Dandelion honey It has a golden yellow color, very thick, viscous, quickly crystallizing, with a strong odor and a pungent taste. Bees obtain this honey from the nectar of a well-known and widespread weed - dandelion.

Thistle honey is white, aromatic, and tasty. This premium honey is produced by bees from nectar collected from the numerous golden yellow flowers of the weed thistle plant.

Sunflower honey It has a golden color, a faint aroma and a tart taste. Crystallizes quickly. When crystallized, it turns light amber, sometimes even with a greenish tint. This honey has valuable dietary and medicinal properties.

Motherwort honey- very heavy, light yellow in color, with a specific but mild taste. Bees collect nectar from the pale purple flowers of the honey plant, motherwort.

Rapeseed honey has a color from white to intense yellow, a weak aroma and a sugary taste, thick, crystallizes quickly. It dissolves poorly in water and turns sour quickly during long-term storage. Bees prepare it from the nectar of rapeseed flowers.

mignonette honey belongs to the high-grade category, has a pleasant aroma, and its taste can compete with linden. Bees produce this honey from the nectar of mignonette flowers, which is a good honey plant.

Rowan honey It has a red color, a strong aroma and good taste. During crystallization, a coarse-grained mass is formed. Bees make honey from the nectar of rowan flowers.

Rape honey It has a greenish-yellow color, has a weak aroma, but a pleasant taste. Not suitable for long-term storage. It is produced from the nectar of golden-yellow cress flowers.

Pumpkin honey It has a golden yellow color, a pleasant taste, and crystallizes quite quickly. Bees harvest it from large golden pumpkin flowers.

Tulip honey It has a reddish color, has a pleasant aroma and good taste. Bees collect this honey from a greenish-reddish ornamental tulip tree. This tree is a good honey plant, as it contains the largest amount of nectar compared to other honey-bearing subtropical plants.

Phacelia honey It has a light green or white color, has a delicate aroma and a pleasant delicate taste. Belongs to the best varieties. After crystallization it resembles dough. It is prepared from the nectar of phacelia flowers, which is considered a good honey plant.

Cotton honey- very light and only after crystallization it becomes white, has a unique aroma and delicate taste. Honey collected by bees from cotton leaves is no different in taste from honey collected from large cotton flowers.

Cherry honey In some regions of Ukraine and southern regions of Russia there are large areas of cherry trees, which are also honey-bearing. Bees produce cherry honey from the nectar of cherry flowers. It has a characteristic lemon-sweet taste, a white-yellow color, and a pleasant aroma. Well accepted by the body. Has antimicrobial properties.

Blueberry honey It has an exceptional aroma, pleasant taste and is reddish in color. Produced by bees from the nectar of blueberry flowers.

Sage honey It has a light amber or dark golden color, has a delicate pleasant aroma and good taste. It is produced from the flowers of Salvia medicinatum.

Eucalyptus honey- unpleasant taste, but highly valued as it is used in folk medicine to treat pulmonary tuberculosis. Bees produce this honey from the nectar of large single flowers with numerous stamens of the evergreen tree Eucalyptus rotundus, cultivated mainly in the subtropics.

sainfoin honey belongs to valuable varieties. It is light amber in color, transparent as crystal, and has a pleasant subtle aroma and taste. Slowly crystallizes into very small crystals. When settled, it is a white solid mass with a creamy tint, resembling lard in appearance. It is prepared by bees from the nectar of the sainfoin plant, or vicofolia, which grows wild. In addition to nectar, bees take brown-yellow pollen from sainfoin. According to available data, during the flowering period of sainfoin, its pollen is dominant in any bee pollen.

Apple honey It has a light yellow color, a very delicate aroma and taste, and crystallizes quickly. Prepared from the nectar of apple flowers.

What determines the color of honey? Honey is a unique product in all its parameters; it has a fragrant aroma and a pleasant taste. And its beneficial properties cannot be overestimated, because it helps get rid of various diseases, not to mention maintaining the immune system. This amazing product has many varieties, each of which is special due to its properties. Therefore, you should understand what classification of honey exists in order to choose the most suitable product.

Types of honey

Bee product has a huge number of varieties, each created from the nectar of a specific plant species. In this case, the resulting product can have a light or dark color and a number of special properties. Typically, these properties depend on the medicinal characteristics of plants. Thus, you get a unique and beloved delicacy. Now this delicacy can be divided into the following types:

1. Monofloral honey is a product collected from one plant, for example, buckwheat or linden. Of course, this delicacy cannot contain 100% nectar from one plant. Therefore, honey can be considered monofloral if more than 40% of the nectar is collected from one honey plant. This happens because bees cannot fly to just one plant. Usually many plants bloom in the environment at one time, which is why this variety is obtained.
2. Polyfloral honey collected from the nectars of several plant species. Such nectar is collected by bees in forests, mountains, and steppes. This product has a very rich taste and aroma and is the most common. But if such honey is collected from wild bees, then it is very rare and has a huge number of healing properties.
3. May honey is a product collected for the first time after winter. Its name has nothing to do with its properties, because it comes from ancient times, when the chronology was different, and honey collection began in May, which is where the name comes from. May honey is one of the most delicious varieties, since the nectar for it is collected from many flowering trees and flowers, because there are a lot of them in May.
4. Honeydew honey is special in that it is collected not from plant nectar, but from the sweet secretions of insects, including aphids. The composition may also include honeydew from trees such as linden, apple, maple and others. This happens when the summer is too dry and the flowers wither. The color of the bee product obtained in this way is usually dark green, brown, and in some cases yellow. This type of honey has a not very pleasant aroma and viscous consistency. Since it is the cheapest, it is used mainly in bakeries and confectioneries.

All these varieties and their characteristics are of great importance when choosing a delicacy. After all, everyone who buys this product counts on its properties that can improve health.

What determines the color of the product?

Many people are accustomed to seeing yellow honey, since this type is the most common. Of course, the color can vary from light or even almost white to dark brown. But what determines the color of this delicacy? This issue should be examined in more detail. Now honey is divided into four color groups:

• white, colorless;
• amber, cream;
• yellow;
• brown, brown.

The most important thing that affects the color of this product is what plants the nectar was collected from and in what period of the year. In addition, the type of bees and the condition of their honeycombs also influences. Thus, different bees may have different colors of a product collected in one period in one area. The geographical location should not be overlooked, because this also plays a big role, for example, completely different plants grow in mountainous areas.

Of course, this delicacy, despite the color and variety, has one common feature - it boosts the immune system and treats colds. However, other properties may differ depending on its color and the nectar of the plants from which the product was made.

Nowadays, light-colored honey and rare white honey are becoming increasingly popular. This is due to the quality of the product, because it is made from medicinal plants, sometimes very rare. Acacia honey is especially popular; due to its taste, it has long been first-class. The same cannot be said about linden honey, because it is not always of the required quality. Sometimes bees, when collecting nectar, also collect honeydew from the linden tree, so this product becomes dark in color.

Based on this, you should be more careful when choosing this sweet and ask the seller what specific nectar it is made from. After all, inexperienced buyers are often sold a low-quality product, dark in color, and at the same time claim that it is made from special types of plants, but this is not always the case and instead of a useful product, the buyer receives the cheapest type of honey at a high price. Therefore, you should pay special attention to the color, smell and especially taste; it should have a pleasant aftertaste, not bitterness. And it is best to buy this delicacy from trusted and conscientious beekeepers who are confident in the quality of their products, or at fairs where the products have a quality certificate.

Yellow honey

Everyone has long been accustomed to enjoying yellow honey, because this color is the most common. This color can be given to this delicacy by both flowers and meadow grasses. At the same time, the natural product must have a transparent structure and a special aroma.

Most often, the yellow color of this sweetness comes from the nectar of a plant such as sweet clover. This plant has excellent medicinal properties. At the same time, such honey is very useful for nursing mothers, because it increases lactation. Therefore, such a product is in great demand. In the liquid state, the delicacy made from sweet clover nectar has a yellow color, but after a long crystallization process it lightens and becomes creamy.

A plant such as cornflower can give honey a yellow color, because it is a good honey plant. The product obtained from it has a special taste with a slight bitterness, and its pleasant almond aroma makes it popular among lovers of this type of delicacy.

The color palette of buckwheat honey is more diverse depending on the time of year and the breed of bees, it can vary from light yellow to brown. It is a very common and beloved type, as it has a very pleasant floral aroma and good taste, characterized by its long aftertaste.

Among all the types of this yellow delicacy, sunflower honey stands out noticeably. Everyone knows about such a plant as sunflower, in addition to its fruits, it is an excellent honey plant, therefore it attracts bees with its flowering. Among its taste qualities, one can especially highlight a pleasant bitterness and a characteristic aftertaste. Unlike previous types, this delicacy does not have a particularly pronounced smell, but this does not prevent it from being one of the most delicious varieties. At the same time, such a product quickly crystallizes and becomes granular and, very importantly, acquires a beautiful bright yellow color.

This product cannot have a completely white color, because it always acquires some shade, depending on the nectar of the plant. But it is light honey that is by far the most expensive and in demand, yellow shades of the product cannot always compete with it. This is due to the fact that a light product has more beneficial characteristics.

Popular varieties of honey

Every connoisseur of this delicacy believes that the most delicious are monofloral varieties of honey, that is, those that mostly consist of the nectar of one plant. So what kind of honey is there? Depending on the origin, that is, on the nectar of which plant it was made from, a huge number of species are distinguished. Among which are:

1. Clover honey – this honey is transparent or has a slightly pronounced color. It is remembered for its floral aroma and good taste. After crystallization it becomes a white thick mass.
2. Raspberry - has a pleasant light golden color and is popular due to the healing properties of the plant.
3. Heather - distinguished by its reddish-brown color and has a tart taste and not a very pleasant smell. This product is classified as low grade.
4. Acacia honey has a pleasant, unique aroma and good taste. At the same time, such a product crystallizes very slowly and turns from light cream to milky or white. It is often used for insomnia and gastrointestinal diseases.
5. Mustard has a bright golden color, but becomes creamy when it hardens. In addition to its medicinal properties, it also has nutritional properties.
6. Alfalfa can have different shades, but upon crystallization it acquires a lighter color.
7. Chestnut has a dark color and the smell of chestnut flowers, special for its bitter taste.

Since this product is also polyfloral, it is characterized by the collection of nectar by bees in certain places, such as a field, meadow, forest. Therefore, the following varieties are distinguished:

1. Field is a product that has a special aroma of field plants and a very pleasant taste. It is thanks to him that honey is in great demand among sweet lovers. It can have both light yellow and dark shades.
2. Forest honey is the most valuable and rare variety, because it has good healing qualities. At the same time, it has special taste qualities, which are even better than those of the field and meadow species. Its colors range from light yellow to brown.
3. Lugovoy is special with its wonderful flavor bouquet and aromas. Therefore, it is very popular among connoisseurs of this delicacy.

Regardless of where this product was collected, it should first of all be liked by its taste and aroma. At the same time, we should not forget about the unique properties of this product.

Special types of honey

In addition to all the known types of this sweet, there are also very rare ones that are very difficult to find and buy. However, they are no less unique than the familiar species. A dark brown product with a special tobacco aroma is called tobacco honey. This species is very rare and not well studied, so it is not recommended for use for the prevention and treatment of diseases.

Even more unusual is rock honey. It gets its name from the fact that it is deposited by wild bees in the crevices of rock cliffs. This product is not like regular honey, as it is not sticky at all, and its honeycombs do not contain wax. Its peculiarity is its high glucose content, thanks to which it is preserved without changing its qualities at all for several years. Because of its origin, it can also be called Abkhaz honey.

One of the types of this delicacy that is special in origin is poisonous honey. This species is quite dangerous for people, as it can cause symptoms such as headache, diarrhea, and vomiting.

This is due to the fact that bees extract nectar from plants such as azalea, mountain laurel, rhododendron ponticus, and hellebore. These plants are special due to their poisonous properties. Therefore, in its pure form, such a product can cause the above reactions. This type of treat should be tested in laboratories to protect against symptoms.

Typically, this product is collected from plants in Japan, the Caucasus, the Far East and some other areas. At the same time, it is not always possible to determine exactly from which nectars such honey is obtained. Symptoms of poisoning appear after about 20 minutes and are accompanied by about 5 hours of severe itching, pain, and even an increase in body temperature.

Express honey can hardly be called a truly healthy and natural product. After all, it was made by foreign or domestic researchers who position it as a medicinal product. It is created with the help of bees, which feed on sugar syrup and medicines. This idea came from researchers who decided that many diseases could be treated in this way without the use of medications. But, unfortunately, many people did not support such a product, because they did not believe in the possibilities of such treatment.

Features of choice

• Each person, when choosing such a delicacy for himself, should proceed from what effect he expects to receive and for what needs this product is needed. In most cases, honey is bought in case of:
• maintaining immunity;
• for confectionery use.

If this delicacy is purchased for illnesses, then you should pay special attention to what plant nectar the product is made from. After all, each has its own healing properties. When choosing, it is very important to look at the color and consistency; it can tell you what quality this product is.

To maintain the immune system, especially if it concerns a child, it is best to choose light colors that indicate its healing properties and improved health. A linden or raspberry type of delicacy is good.

When such a delicacy is needed exclusively for the preparation of confectionery, then it does not matter which product to choose. This can be either the cheapest variety or the most expensive. After all, when choosing, it is especially important to pay attention to the taste of the sweet, so that the intended confectionery products turn out incredibly tasty and aromatic. In this case, it all depends on everyone’s taste needs.

Weather conditions are unique every year, plants secrete nectar differently and the taste of honey is always unique. Here we can draw a parallel with wine blending, when grapes of different varieties are mixed to obtain a special taste and aroma. Likewise, honey is a complex blend of nectar from dozens of honey-bearing plants. Even frames of honey from the same hive may contain honey with different flavors.

A small part of the frames will contain honey collected in May and early June. This is the time of flowering of gardens, dandelion, yellow acacia. Most of the frames contain honey collected by bees during the main honey harvest from the end of June until the first ten days of August. The main honey plants here are linden, fireweed, white sweet clover, and pink clover. And a huge number of secondary honey plants - raspberries, burdocks and others.

The tastiest honey is produced when the summer is warm and moderately humid. In such a summer, regular thunderstorms only interrupt the solar extravaganza for a short time. The days are hot and a little stuffy. There is enough moisture in the soil for the flowers to produce the greatest amount of nectar. High temperatures and lots of sunlight make the nectar rich in sugars and aromatics. Even the linden tree, which does not produce nectar every year during flowering, in such conditions pleases the beekeeper with the busy hum that bees make when scurrying around the tree. Honey in such years is the most fragrant and the most beautiful in color - sunny, golden.

In cold, damp summers, flowers produce little nectar and it is too liquid. Bees have to exert a lot of energy to evaporate excess moisture from it. The bees wait out the rainy days in the hive, one might say - idle! But in fact, these little hard workers do not know what laziness and idleness are. After all, you need to constantly build new honeycombs, feed the brood, caulk the cracks and holes of the hive with propolis - bee glue. But the most important concern is to collect as much honey as possible for the winter; in rainy summers this is poorly done. In such years, honey turns out to be liquid and, as a rule, crystallizes quickly. Its color is light yellow.

In hot, dry summers, plants secrete a small amount of nectar with a low water content. Accordingly, the honey turns out thick and its color varies from yellow to light brown. There are years when bees are forced to collect honeydew instead of flower nectar. Honeydew is a sweet liquid that, due to high temperatures, begins to be released by the shoots and young leaves of some plants - oak, maple, willow, pine and others. Bees overwinter very poorly on honeydew honey, but it is believed that such honey is beneficial for humans due to its high mineral content.