What is honeydew honey and why. Honeydew honey - what is it? How to identify honeydew honey? Useful and healing properties

Honeydew honey is honey, the source of which is not plant pollen and nectar, but the sweet secretions of plants and even animals. Sources of honeydew of animal origin are chervenets, aphids, mole crickets, the secretions of which are distinguished by a high content of proteins and minerals.

The amount of it in bee hives becomes greater in the summer, in the heat, when the bees do not have enough ordinary nectar, which stimulates them to work on creating their own substance, the properties of which are significantly different from those of ordinary honey.

Types of honeydew and their description

Honeydew honey has distinctive properties depending on the source of the raw material itself. Thus, from honeydew of plant origin, it has a high content of substances such as carbohydrates and plant enzymes. In addition, it also contains useful substances produced by the bees themselves.

The product made from mole cricket and cherventsy honeydew has slightly different properties. There are many enzymes, proteins, and highly active natural compounds.

Bees treat honeydew honey in the same way as regular honey, processing it to condition and drying it. As soon as the amount of moisture becomes optimal, the bee seals the honeycomb with wax. Beekeepers often notice that in the fall not all cells are closed. This means that in the future they will be filled with honeydew of animal or plant origin.

What is honeydew honey

Honeydew honey has its own distinctive qualities, both external and taste. This allows a competent buyer to distinguish it from counterfeit or other bee products. It has the following characteristics:

increased viscosity;
dark color;
lack of odor and pleasant aroma;
slight malt flavor.

Honeydew honey contains quite a lot of nitrogenous compounds, dextrins. This explains why this product is most often considered second-rate. But honeydew honey has much more beneficial properties. So, it contains a significant amount of potassium. This microelement is responsible for the functioning of the heart, as well as for recovery from injuries. That is why honeydew honey is a good purchase for athletes and people with high mobility.

The beneficial properties of honeydew honey do not end there. It has a rich chemical composition, containing phytoncides, organic acids, valuable microelements such as phosphorus, cobalt, iron, manganese. There are much more of them here than in the usual one, which indicates the high value of this product from a medicinal point of view.

It is very important for children with weakened immune systems to take honeydew honey, because it contains natural antibiotics and immunomodulators, which are very noticeable after operations, with blood loss and anemia. Thus, its benefits and harms have completely different weights. The first is incomparably high. And the harm is negligible, just like from ordinary bee products.

The advantage of honeydew honey is that it only benefits humans. Bees cannot feed on it.

When consuming honeydew honey, you should remember that it is most delicious and healthy in its raw and pure form. If it is used during heat treatment when cooking, the beneficial properties will be lost and the taste will deteriorate.

Sources of honeydew honey

The product called honeydew honey is obtained by bees from a fairly large number of sources. These can be various trees and shrubs, in particular fruit trees. Almost every plant periodically secretes droplets of a substance resembling dew through its leaves and shoots. This is the plant honeydew that bees love to collect. Animal honeydew is collected from both living and dead insects. As a rule, such honeydew honey has a higher value than regular honey.

How to distinguish honeydew honey

Depending on the raw material from which honeydew was collected, this product has different characteristics. Due to the special value of this product, it is worth studying in advance how it can be distinguished from other products. To do this, it is not enough to look at photos on the Internet or take the word of “experts”. It is necessary to be very scrupulous in choosing a product so that it is honeydew and not a cheap fake.

So, honeydew from deciduous trees has a characteristic dark burgundy color, tinged with green. Coniferous species produce slightly lighter shades, giving off greenish-yellow. Honeydew collected in a mixed forest has a completely original texture - it looks like tar. True, such a product quickly disappears in the air. The more pollen and nectar it contains, the lighter and thinner it is.

In order not to buy a fake, you should remember that honeydew has no smell, it has a special color and consistency. Thus, the classic product quickly crystallizes, while the honeydew product becomes a soap-like mass. To be absolutely sure that the product is real, it is recommended to purchase it from familiar beekeepers or at specialized fairs where famous craftsmen trade.

Uses of honeydew honey

The main suppliers of honeydew honey to the CIS countries are beekeepers from the Caucasus. It is quite hot here in the summer, so the bees work hard to create this product, because it is in great demand on the market, as it is widely used both in medicine and in other industries.

Honeydew honey and its sources (plants and honeydew) contain large quantities of antibacterial substances that act as inhibitors of the development and reproduction of bacteria. That is why many people use its dilution in water as a remedy for various infectious diseases. Honeydew honey has no negative effect on humans, since its sweet components do not pose a threat to a healthy person. But bees can die from it, because the dextrins and nitrogenous substances that make up it create a strong blow to their bodies.

The industries most in need of honeydew are the medical, perfumery and confectionery industries. The first uses it to create various folk and official drugs to combat pathogens and other problems. People with impaired water-salt metabolism should also think about using honeydew honey, because it is rich in salts and microelements.

How to check the originality of a product

To determine the presence of honeydew honey in flowers, specific reactions are carried out, which can be reproduced even in domestic conditions. After all, visually, as mentioned above, it is difficult to distinguish it from an ordinary floral one. To do this, dissolve it in an equal amount of distilled water, after which 6 parts of medical alcohol are added to the mixture of honeydew honey. An impurity is determined by the formation of a precipitate or turbidity of the solution.

Also, the presence of honeydew honey can be determined by heating with lime water. To do this, add two parts of lime water to the solution indicated above and heat to a boil. The presence of honeydew honey is indicated by flakes released in the solution.

It is always worth checking the originality of this product, because it is highly valued in European markets, and is also gaining popularity in Russia. When choosing between a classic product and such an unusual one, more and more people are inclined to the latter, because it has more useful substances, and its taste is somewhat different for the better.

If we buy honey at the market in early autumn or in the hot August summer after an equally hot July, then most likely we are dealing with honeydew honey mixed with flower honey. Although buckwheat and sunflower also bloom late, the product of these honey plants is easily distinguishable by smell, color and taste. Honeydew honey has its own distinctive characteristics.

In this article we will look at what honeydew honey is and talk about its animal and plant origins.

Honeydew honey has many colors and shades. It depends on the type of plants and insects from which honeydew is taken, and weather and climatic conditions. It is amber or dark greenish in color if the source of honeydew is tree needles.
But in most cases it is dark brown or black in color.

This is the first sign by which it is distinguished when purchasing. In its structure and consistency, this honey is similar to tar. It is viscous and stretchy.

The more impurities of flower honey there are, the more liquid it is. If honeydew honey is taken from coniferous trees, it is sweet.

In all other cases, its sweetness is little felt, but a bitter taste appears. Sometimes its taste is unpleasant and repulsive.

It is characterized by increased hygroscopicity, so it sours quickly. It is not suitable for long-term storage. Crystallization occurs slowly, sometimes it does not occur or the liquid fraction settles.

During the time of Tsarist Russia, it was forbidden to trade it, as it was believed that it was a product of low grade and quality. The phrase “in the absence of fish and cancer is a fish” is about honeydew honey. But this concerns the choice of the bee. If she has to choose, she will give preference to flower nectar.

In Western Europe, honeydew honey is valued more than flower honey due to its beneficial properties. We traditionally give preference, like bees, to the flower species.

Natural honeydew honey

Ingredients: vitamins and minerals

The composition of honeydew honey varies. Depends on the honeydew from which the bees take a bribe. For example, honey collected from pine needles contains 5-6 times less phosphorus than from honeydew of ash leaves.

The same applies to potassium content. It contains phytoncides, which are natural antibiotics. There are also a lot of mineral salts (iron, cobalt, phosphorus, manganese). According to these indicators, this variety exceeds the flower variety, which is why it is so valuable for humans.

Honeydew honey contains many polysaccharides. In addition, it contains fructose, sucrose, glucose, and other sugars. There are many free amino acids present. This type of honey contains 3-4 times more protein than flower honey. 100 grams of product contains 324 kilocalories. This is a high figure.

The large amount of minerals makes honeydew honey unsuitable for bees as a winter reserve, otherwise the bees will die. Nitrogen compounds also prevent this. It is harmless to humans.

Benefits and harms

Provides invaluable benefits to the body. It has antiseptic and bactericidal properties and is an excellent antidepressant. He restores strength increases the overall tone of the body.

It is useful for a weakened body, especially for children after an illness or to increase immunity. It is used in traditional and alternative medicine, cosmetology.

It is not advisable to use honeydew honey in cooking, since treatment at elevated temperatures has a detrimental effect on its beneficial properties.

The structure is destroyed, it delaminates, loses color and attractiveness. The taste also changes towards increasing bitterness.

How to distinguish natural honeydew honey

Contraindications for use

Due to its calorie content and large amount of minerals, it is taken in moderation. Allergy sufferers are not recommended to take this variety as it can cause harm to the body. The same applies to people suffering from diabetes.

Daily consumption is limited to one tablespoon three times a day. That is, the dose for an adult is 110-130 grams.

About the honey plant

In periods that are too dry, bees take honeydew as a bribe. It comes in plant and animal origin. In the first case, it is a sweetish transparent liquid that is secreted by plants (leaves and shoots).
Some people call it “honeydew.” If you saw droplets of colorless liquid on the leaves of trees in the morning, then this is not dew, but plant honeydew. It also comes in animal origin. These are waste products of insects that feed on plant sap, for example, plant lice.

But a bee, even in the absence of honey plants, will refuse to take honeydew if its composition does not exceed 4% sucrose and there is not a sufficient amount of aromatic substances.

Storage conditions

Honeydew honey does not store well. This is due to its chemical composition and increased hygroscopicity. Therefore, we are not talking about long-term storage.

If you decide to stock up on it for future use, the requirements for storage conditions are common to all varieties. The main thing is that the temperature regime is maintained and the humidity is within normal limits. In addition, it is undesirable for honey to be exposed to direct sunlight.

For short-term storage, set the temperature to around 15 degrees Celsius. For long-term storage - around 7 degrees plus. We keep air humidity at 60%. We use glass containers. As an exception - plastic.

Natural honeydew honey in combs

Medicinal properties

Honeydew honey is used in medicine after operations to restore a weakened body.

It will help those suffering from anemia better than flower.

In case of loss of blood, it will also provide a great service to restore it. For those who have joint pain or suffer from intestinal sluggishness, this type of honey is recommended. He will help better than anyone else.

Honeydew honey is a specific variety in every sense. Along with its disadvantages (it is poorly stored, does not have a pleasant aroma and delicate taste), it has healing properties due to the minerals, phytoncides and polysaccharides it contains.

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Sometimes you can find honeydew honey at markets or bee fairs. What it is, the benefits, harms and contraindications to its use will be described in more detail.

Where does honeydew honey come from?

Knowing how to distinguish natural honey from a fake, you may decide that they are offering you some product of low quality and not of bee origin. But that's not true. Honeydew honey is as natural and created by bees as flower honey. It's just that bees make it under different conditions and not from nectar. In particularly dry summers, when flowers dry out, almost no nectar is released, hardworking bees look for a replacement.

And they are found in the form of honeydew, insect saliva, sweet secretions from leaves or pine needles, etc. The entire subsequent process of creating the product is the same as usual. But it is better for bees not to eat honeydew honey; it can only be used for human needs.

The fact is that it contains dextrins and a lot of nitrogenous substances. They shorten the life of a bee by half. But honeydew honey can bring many benefits to people if used correctly. Depending on its origin, it is divided into two main subspecies:

Vegetable - when the basis for the delicacy is obtained from secretions from leaves, shoots, various liquids, honeydew, etc. There is also a division - deciduous or coniferous.
Animal - all kinds of secretions from insects living on flowers and plants can also become a sweet substitute for nectar. Moreover, such honey will contain an increased amount of proteins and minerals, which are very beneficial for the human body.

When honeydew honey is collected and created, it still has no smell or color. It begins to darken and thicken, as well as acquire a bitter smell and taste a little later.

Benefits for the human body

Honeydew honey has many beneficial properties, and therefore it is used to improve the condition of sick and weakened people, and also treat many diseases:

strengthens the skeletal system, as it contains a high concentration of potassium and phosphorus;
rejuvenates the body, helping older people regain strength;
It brings great benefits to the functioning of the heart, capillaries and blood vessels, since this delicacy contains an incredible amount of potassium. Therefore, with its help, patients are restored after heart attacks, strokes, and even cured of atherosclerosis;
heals colds and viral infections, having an excellent effect on the immune system;
normalizes the functioning of the intestines and stomach, speeding up their work and improving metabolism;
raises hemoglobin levels, due to which it is actively used for anemia;
helps remove dangerous toxins from the body, and even reduces the level of bad cholesterol in the blood;
due to the presence of B vitamins, honeydew honey is also used to treat nervous disorders in the initial stages, as well as to treat insomnia;
they treat hypertension and cerebral vascular sclerosis;
relieves nervous and muscle tension, relaxes, and also helps restore energy after intense exercise;
restores the functioning of the pancreas, gall bladder and liver well;
and even in cosmetology, honeydew honey has found its application. With its help, they smooth out wrinkles, improve complexion, get rid of cellulite, scars and stretch marks. Cosmetologists have found that it can quickly relieve swelling.

Honeydew honey and its benefits for the human body are highly valued, and therefore it is worth paying attention to it and learning to distinguish it from fakes. You need to understand that the composition and beneficial qualities of the honey product vary greatly depending on the region of collection and origin.

And most often it happens that honey does not come from just one type. Therefore, flower honey may contain a certain amount of honeydew honey, which is also not bad, because their positive properties are enhanced by such a combination.

Special differences

The honeydew product is unlike a regular flower product, and therefore you need to know exactly what it looks like, smells, and tastes like, so as not to buy a fake.

In appearance, this variety will be dark. Of course, its final color largely depends on what exactly it is assembled from. But usually it is dark, often even black. If coniferous trees grow near the apiary, the product will have a green tint. Sometimes honeydew honey can be dark brown or slightly lighter. In this case, the veins will also be green.
The taste of such a bee product will be sweet, but bitter. May have a malty taste.
The smell of such honey will be different from flower honey. It practically has no smell as such. But in some cases it will be spicy and bitter.
The most striking difference is the crystallization of honeydew honey. It does not crystallize like a regular bee product, but becomes more similar to a soap solution. More often than not, it even happens that honeydew honey turns sour and spoils before it can be candied.
It is usually a thick viscous consistency that does not dissolve in water. And when you suck this honey in your mouth, you will feel as if you are holding a resinous ball.
You can only buy this variety fresh, and therefore, knowing when it is produced, you can get to a familiar beekeeper in time. That is, if you notice that a dry summer has arrived, or the time is approaching autumn and there are fewer and fewer honey plants in the area, then it’s time to look for the kind of honey that bees make from honeydew.

It is important to be able to determine when flower honey contains honeydew. In appearance, this will be more difficult to do, but there are other ways:

The purchased treat is dissolved in distilled water 1:1. Then six parts of medical alcohol are added to it. If a precipitate appears or the solution becomes cloudy, it means that honeydew honey is present in its composition;
If you add not alcohol, but two parts of a lime solution to the same solution and bring it to a boil, then characteristic flakes will appear. This also speaks in favor of honeydew honey in the composition.

In Russia, honeydew honey is considered to be a second-rate product and is valued less than flower honey. The most useful and high-quality honeydew honey in the CIS is created in the Caucasus mountains. But in Europe it is most often made from honeydew, which makes it especially valuable and useful. This is why they love it there, using it more as a medicine than as a simple sweetness.

Video: honeydew honey - what it is, how to distinguish it, benefits and harm.

Harm and contraindications

More often than not, the benefits and harms of any product go hand in hand. If a bee product is able to help and cure some human problems, then it can also cause harm if not handled correctly. Thus, honeydew honey is not recommended for use by the following categories of patients:

For allergy sufferers, especially if your allergy is related to bee products.
If you have diabetes, any type of honey should be consumed only after consulting a doctor.
If you are overweight, honey should be consumed only in limited quantities, so as not to aggravate existing problems. Although it is easily digestible, it is a fairly high-calorie product.
Even despite its ability to cure gastrointestinal diseases, it is still undesirable to use such honey during exacerbations.
Pregnant women and young children under two years of age should also avoid consuming such allergenic foods.
How to store and use
Since honeydew honey spoils quickly, it must be handled correctly.
Do not buy too much of it so that you have time to use it before the first signs of separation or souring.
Honey begins to deteriorate when it comes into contact with air, and therefore it should be stored in a carefully sealed container.
A dark, slightly cool place is suitable for storage, but preferably not a refrigerator.
It is also important that the container is either glass or ceramic. Any other material may affect the quality and properties of the product.
Honeydew honey, like any other, should be heated carefully and not too much. At temperatures above 60 degrees, all its beneficial qualities are neutralized.
It is enough to eat one tablespoon of bee product per day.
It is better not to add anything to it, but to consume it in its pure form.

Honeydew honey is a product of beekeeping, but its source is not pollen or sweet nectar, but certain secretions of insects, animals and plants. Bees collect it in the summer during particularly hot days, when there is no way to find nectar or pollen, so they look for alternative sources.

To have an idea of what honeydew honey is, you need to find out the source of its origin. In the summer heat, flowering plants begin to wither, and the bees have nowhere to take honey, but they need to constantly fill the honeycombs. Therefore, they have to be content with another product that is isolated from some plants and animals.

In plants, this is honeydew - a sweet secretion. They mainly occur on coniferous trees, as well as on willow, linden, cherry, plum, aspen, and apple trees. In animals, this is a sweet secretion, mostly in aphids, which feed on the sap of fruit trees.

Honeydew honey is usually divided into two types:

Plant appearance. This product contains carbohydrate sugars that bees extract from shrubs, fruit and coniferous trees. Plant honeydew contains enzymes and carbohydrates of plant origin. Bees, when collecting honeydew, also secrete useful substances, which they then put into honeycombs. This allows the bees to not stop working in dry, hot weather.
Animal view. Bees mainly collect aphids. Aphids leave a sweet coating on the leaves of trees, which bees collect and produce honeydew honey. In addition to aphids, bees can collect honeydew directly from mole crickets and scale insects.

Gallery: honeydew honey (25 photos)

Differences from flower honey

To correctly identify honeydew honey, you just need to activate your senses: sight, smell and touch. The task is quite difficult for vision. The color of honeydew honey can vary: from brown to almost black like resin. The color depends on the place of origin of the honeydew:

Honeydew honey does not have much odor. Usually honeydew has no odor, but an exception will be when collected from coniferous trees. Its aroma will be pleasant.

The taste of the beekeeping product is quite pleasant. It has moderate sweetness, sometimes with a slight bitterness. The consistency of this product is very thick and almost does not crystallize. Over time, it may separate into two layers or may become similar in appearance to liquid soap.

As a result, the main differences between honeydew honey and flower honey are its darker color, thicker consistency and lack of odor.

Benefits and harms for the human body

A high amount of elements of animal origin and plant enzymes gives honeydew honey beneficial properties for the human body. Continuous intake of this product with food has a positive effect:

due to the high content of elements such as potassium and phosphorus, it accelerates the process of restoration of bone tissue after fractures and injuries;
a feature of the constant use of the product is the restoration of the functioning of the cardiovascular system after serious illnesses such as heart attack and stroke, and is a barrier to the development of atherosclerosis;
able to quickly restore physical strength after heavy loads;
helps maintain mental performance during periods of increased stress;
helps the older generation avoid “age-related” diseases;
has the properties of an immune stimulant and thereby prevents the occurrence of colds and flu during the epidemic season;
improves the functioning of the digestive system;
due to the high content of beneficial microelements of animal and plant origin, it has a positive effect on blood composition;
Another feature is the use of the product to prevent anemia.

The special beneficial properties of honeydew honey will only work if use it correctly. This beekeeping product must be taken separately from meals. You can add it to warm drinks: tea or herbal infusions. The temperature of the drink should not be higher than 60 degrees, otherwise all the beneficial properties of honeydew honey will disappear. This product also goes well with fresh vegetables or fruits; salads are often made with it.

Honeydew honey can be taken in small quantities by people with diabetes. Honeydew contains a large amount of carbohydrates, but due to the presence of enzymes, the product is able to speed up metabolism, remove toxins and excess cholesterol compounds.

The benefits of honeydew honey are now known, but how can it harm a person? Main contraindications:

Storage rules and conditions

Fall may quickly absorb moisture. From this it follows that honeydew honey must be stored in a tightly closed container in a dry and cool room.

This product cannot be stored for a long time due to its origin. It contains elements of animal protein and lacks the protective substances phytoncides. It is phytoncides that make it possible to store ordinary honey for a long time, as they protect it from the formation of microbes and bacteria. In the presence of protein, microorganisms can develop quickly, and this will lead to souring of the honeydew.

It follows from this that purchasing honeydew honey in reserve is not recommended. It is better to take the amount of product that you are able to eat in the next two to three months.

Bees are forced to collect honeydew due to insufficient amounts of nectar and pollen during hot weather. Honeydew is divided into two types depending on its origin: animal and plant. Honeydew honey can be distinguished from ordinary flower honey by its color and the absence of a characteristic odor. The high amount of elements of animal origin and plant enzymes in this product helps people in many of the body's regenerative processes. Honeydew honey is harmful to a certain circle of people who are allergic to bee products and have certain severe diseases: diabetes mellitus, gastrointestinal diseases.

In Russia, honeydew honey is discussed in a negative context - the product is considered a harmful impurity. But all over the world, honeydew varieties are highly valued. It seems that we are talking about products of different varieties... Well, together with the reader, let’s try to understand this difference, and then learn how to determine the presence of honeydew impurities.

In Central and Western Europe, up to 80% of natural honey is produced from honeydew, and consumers prefer honeydew varieties. Honeydew is the sweet secretion of insects and plants. People knew about honeydew honey back in the Middle Ages. The following describes the differences between honeydew and flower honey, as well as the different types of the first of them.

Two types, but one variety

It was said above that honeydew is the secretion of not only insects, but also some plants. It turns out that when temperature changes, leaves and needles can release liquid. We are talking about the so-called honeydew, which looks like regular dew.

Honeydew on leaves

Bees obtain honeydew honey from two types of raw materials:

Plant secretions – honeydew;
Saliva and insect waste products mixed with ordinary dew. Suppliers of raw materials will be leaf aphids, mole crickets, mealybugs and leaf flea beetles.

Thus, we can talk about two different varieties, differing in composition and properties. In Europe, honey is produced from honeydew, and it is rich in macro- and microelements. The main macronutrient here is potassium.

Bees never collect dew or honeydew if there is at least one “honey plant” in the apiary, that is, a source of “real” nectar.

Russian GOST classifies all products under consideration as “II». The fact is that we are talking about the second type of honey - it contains a lot of protein. But pine honey, although it belongs to the honeydew varieties, contains 0% protein. This product is prepared by bees from honeydew without impurities.

The source of raw materials, in turn, is white and European spruce, fir, as well as mountain pine and larch.

Coniferous honeydew honey is rarely found on sale. It is very rich in vitamin C, A and K.

Honeydew and floral – which is better?

There are no phytoncides in honeydew honey, that is, the product does not contain substances that prevent fermentation. However, if there are “cons”, there must also be “pros”.

Substance	Honeydew	Floral
Sucrose	To 10%	0,02-5%
Fructose	Up to 37%	Up to 40%
Glucose	Up to 31%	Up to 35%
Water	7,2-15,2%	8-20%
Minerals	Up to 1.6%	Up to 0.64% (0.2% on average)
Nitrogenous substances	0.0082	0.0042
Organic acids	0.0018	0.0007
Dextrins	To 10%	0.0361

In any case, flower honey contains a lot of moisture. When the water content exceeds 20%, the product cannot be stored for long. As you can see, this does not apply to honeydew varieties.

Pay attention to the content of dextrins. In general, dextrin is not a medical, but rather a culinary term. We are talking about a natural thickener.

When a crust forms on bread, dextrin molecules are concentrated in it. The substance itself is easily absorbed and does not cause harm.

We looked at what honeydew honey consists of, and the benefits of this product are mainly due to mineral substances. Organic acids are not beneficial for everyone - they stimulate the production of gastric juice. Nitrogenous substances, in turn, will be represented by protein and amino acids. Know that amino acids have contraindications, and these acids are only useful for “building muscles.”

We evaluate taste and color

The first characteristic that is very important when choosing is density. Honeydew honey will have maximum density. There is usually no aroma, and the color is brown or brown.

Honeydew and nectar products

Honeydew honey has no aftertaste, and the taste is reminiscent of burnt sugar and malt. If a greenish tint is present, the product is derived from aphid secretions.

Proteins, fats and carbohydrates

Up to 99% of all calories in honey are carbohydrates. And little depends on the variety. And the waste product of butterflies and aphids contains proteins in large quantities. The result is this:

Honeydew honey, ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates – 0-1%, 0%, 99-100%;
Flower honey – on average 0.3%, 0% and 99.7%.

The energy value of any of these products is 325-330 kcal per 100 grams.

Honeydew collected from leaves

Of course, plant honeydew contains no protein at all. However, products that could have fallen from the glands of insects accumulate on the leaves. This means that the protein content is typical for “leaf” honey.

And needles are not leaves. Waste products are not deposited on it.

Honey from Europe, if we talk about “deciduous” honeydew, can contain quite a lot of protein. There is nothing surprising.

We detect the presence of impurities

If honeydew is added to flower honey, the protein content in most cases increases. And not everyone likes this. Otherwise, there will be no harm from such impurities: the shelf life of honeydew honey, that is, the period of its crystallization, exceeds one year. But it is difficult to store this product in its pure form. It turns sour because the cleanliness of the dishes is rarely perfect.

So, we will identify the presence of impurities. Mix the product with the distillate using a 1 to 1 ratio. Then add 96 percent alcohol.

Result: the solution turned whitish.

If the solution becomes cloudy, an impurity is present. The maximum amount of alcohol is six times more than the amount of water.

There is another way: add lime water to an aqueous solution of honey. Then the mixture is brought to a boil. Pay attention to whether the flakes stand out. The amount of lime water is twice as much as the volume of distillate.

It’s easy to prepare lime water: pour quicklime with water and let the mixture settle.

In Europe, honeydew honey is often sold, and everyone is familiar with the beneficial properties of this product firsthand. Just like in Russia, coniferous varieties are valued in Europe. However, the “regular” product is honey containing dew from deciduous plants. Why this is bad has already been discussed.