Honey is a mixture of sugars and other compounds. With respect to carbohydrates, honey is mainly fructose (about 38.5%) and glucose (about 31.0%), making it similar to the synthetically produced
inverted sugar syrup which is approximately 48% fructose, 47% glucose, and 5% sucrose.Honey's remaining carbohydrates include maltose, sucrose, and other complex carbohydrates.As with all nutritive sweeteners, honey is mostly sugars and contains only trace amounts of vitamins or minerals.
Honey also contains tiny amounts of several compounds thought to function as
antioxidants, including
chrysin,
pinobanksin,
vitamin C,
catalase, and
pinocembrin.
The specific composition of any batch of honey depends on the flowers available to the bees that produced the honey.
Typical honey analysis.
- Fructose: 38.2%
- Glucose: 31.3%
- Sucrose: 1.3%
- Maltose: 7.1%
- Water: 17.2%
- Higher sugars: 1.5%
- Ash: 0.2%
- Other/undetermined: 3.2%
Its
glycemic index ranges from 31 to 78, depending on the variety.
Honey has a
density of about 1.36 kilograms per liter (36% denser than water).
