FSS Honey Extract OS

Bees have produced honey for over 150 million years. Honey has been referenced in ancient Egyptian writings, and was used by the Egyptians in cosmetics and in wound dressings. Honey has been used throughout the ages as a natural sweetener. Biblical references for Egypt include ‘land of milk and honey’. Ancient Romans and Greeks also referred to honey as food fit for the Gods. Honey is the main ingredient in the alcoholic beverage called mead, which is also known as ‘honey wine’ or ‘honey beer’, though it’s neither wine nor beer. During the 11th century, German beer was sweetened with honey; and when the Spaniards arrived in Central America during the 1500s, they found that Natives had already domesticated bees for honey cultivation. Apiculture, the practice of beekeeping to produce honey, dates back to around 700 B.C. Today, honey is used for several different applications, which include cooking, baking, as a spread on bread,an addition for beverages like tea and as a sweetener for commercial beverages.

Honey is derived from the nectar harvested by bees from flowers. Nectar consists of 80% water and 20% complex sugars. Enzymes in the bees’ saliva break down complex carbohydrates into simple sugars. The nectar is then sprayed into honeycombs and fanned by the bees to evaporate the water and concentrate the nectar into thick syrup, thus producing honey. After evaporation, the honeycomb is sealed off with wax for storage. The chemical composition of honey is mainly fructose (38.5%) and glucose (31%) with water (17%), sucrose (1%) and other sugars such as maltose (9%). Small amounts of amino acids, enzymes, organic acids, vitamin B6, thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, and small amounts of essential minerals, such as calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and zinc are present in honey. Honey also contains tiny amounts of several compounds thought to function as antioxidants, including chrysin, pinobanksin, vitamin C, catalase and pinocembrin. Honey has been shown to have antibacterial properties. Its low water content and low acidity, with pH range from 3.2 to 4.5, inhibit bacterial growth. Also found in honey is an enzyme called glucose oxidase that when combined with water produces hydrogen peroxide, a mild antiseptic. For these reasons, honey has been used in wound dressings and taken orally to soothe sore throats. In fact, the British government has approved the use of honey in wound dressings to inhibit the growth of bacterial such as MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus).

FSS Honey Extract OS is suitable for use in lipophilic systems, whereas most honey based products are insoluble in oil-based systems. Honey is a popular product in both the food, medical and cosmetic industries. In cosmetics, it is often used in fragrances, shampoos, conditioners, exfoliators, cleansers and body butters. In this day and age with the development of more economical synthetic and artificial materials that are replacing many of the things familiar to us, honey remains a constant that has not changed, and many find this to be comforting.