A. cerana indica and Trigona iridipennis are also domesticated by bee keepers and are the sources of ‘box honey’. Both wild and domesticated bees gather nectar from plants and convert it into honey.To produce 100 g of honey, a foraging bee must suck nectars from nearly a million flowers.
This process involves combining nectar gathered from plants with an enzyme called invertase that breaks down sucrose into a simpler glucose and fructose molecules. Dehydration of the ultimate product mainly through fanning by their wings so as to set up air currents helps to reduce the water content of the nectar (70-80-%) to 18%. Once the water content drops to 18 per cent, mould and bacteria can’t grow and the nectar becomes honey.
The nectar is stored in a second stomach, also known as the “honey stomach.” After they have filled up their second stomach, the bees return to their hive. Back at the hive, forager bees regurgitate the nectar. It’s then passed between worker bees, mouth-to-mouth, to reduce its water levels.
Once the nectar becomes honey, the honeybees will store it in honeycomb cells, which act as little jars made of wax. Once the honey is ready, the bees will seal the cell using a wax secreted from their abdominal glands.When the hive is filled with honey, the bees are kept away by exposing them to controlled smoke and the combs are scraped off wax seals to collect honey.
Honey contains high quantity of fructose which is insulin independent. Beyond sugars, honey contains numerous compounds such as organic acids, proteins, amino acids, minerals, polyphenols, vitamins and aromatics. he composition of honey depends on several factors like floral source, composition of nectar(s), climatic conditions, beekeeping practices and method of harvesting and processing.
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