honey

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honey Syrupy liquid made by bees (the honey bee is Apis mellifera) from the nectar of flowers (which is essentially sucrose). The flavour and colour depend upon the flowers from which the nectar was obtained and the composition also varies with the source. Average composition: water 18% (12–26%), invert sugar, i.e. glucose and fructose, 74% (69–75%), sucrose 1.9% (0–4%), ash 0.18% (0.1–0.8%), organic acids 0.1–0.4%. If the ratio of fructose to glucose is high, there is a tendency for the honey to crystallize.

Comb honey is honey stored by bees in cells of freshly built, broodless combs and sold in the comb; drained honey is drained from decapped combs.

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