Đang chuẩn bị liên kết để tải về tài liệu:
Bees And Honey - Part 10

The honey harvest Harvest time is one of joy and great satisfaction when the tins or bottles are safely in the store, and the 'honey for tea' is your own. In this final chapter I am going to deal with the composition of honey, its physical and general properties, and the methods of harvesting and preparation for use | The honey harvest Harvest time is one of joy and great satisfaction when the tins or bottles are safely in the store and the honey for tea is your own. In this final chapter I am going to deal with the composition of honey its physical and general properties and the methods of harvesting and preparation for use or sale of honey. An average analysis of honey is shown in the Table below. As will be seen honey is basically a solution of sugars which make up some 79 per cent of its weight. Composition of honey 18 Water 35 Glucose Dextrose 40 Fructose Levulose 4 Other sugars 3 Other substances The part that makes honey unique is the vast mixture of substances found in the 3 per cent of other substances . A breakdown of this 3 per cent is given in the next Table which shows that it includes vitamins pigments enzymes and various biologically active substances such as plant growth hormones rooting compounds choline and acetylcholine. Constituent parts of the 3 per cent other substances in honey About 15 organic acids including acetic butyric gluconic malic succinic About 12 mineral elements including potassium calcium sulphur chlorine iron etc. About 17 free amino acids including proline glutamic acid lysine etc. About 4-7 proteins As will be appreciated from the above honey is a conglomeration of materials variation in the relative proportions of which can provide the permutations which makes every super of honey slightly different in colour flavour aroma and texture from the next. Honey has a built-in antibacterial substance based upon the production of peroxide by an enzyme which is added by the bee. This active sterility of honey has caused it to be used for wound dressing together with its other advantages of a complete lack of any side effects upon healthy tissue and the fact that it does not dry out. Honey is hygroscopic that is it will take up water from the air thus increasing its water content or decreasing its specific gravity unless kept in airtight conditions.