Honey production in the world is done through bee-keeping, maintenance, and harvesting of the beehives through apiculture. Honey is one of the healthiest and most popular animal products produced and harvested from honey bees. Different stages are involved in honey production. Commercial honey is different from raw honey, and many steps are involved in the production process for both types. Out of all the countries, the top honey production country is China, with an average production of 457,203 tonnes per year. Turkey, Iran, and Argentina follow China in the list of most honey-producing nations. In addition, these countries are also responsible for exporting honey across the world.
How is the honey produced?
A certain variety of honey bees are critical for honey production in the world. For example, most species used in India for honey production are Apis dorsata, Apis Florea, Apis cerena and Apis indica. On the other hand, the most common honey bee species in Europe is the Apis mellifera.
Here’s are the steps in which honey is produced:
- Honey bees naturally produce honey. The bees collect the nectar from flowers during pollination and store it in their hives. During honey storage in the honeycombs, it gradually breaks down into simple sugars and achieves a sweet taste.
- The honey bees then constantly fan the honeycomb with their wings, which causes the water in the honey to evaporate and leaves behind the famed thick liquid that is the raw honey.
- Usually, the bee’s nectar collection is much higher than required as their energy source, resulting in surplus honey from the honeycombs. It is the excess honey that beekeepers extract through apiculture.
- The flavour and colour of the honey vary depending on the nectar collected by the bees. For instance, if the bees fed on wildflowers, the honey would be dark amber. On the other hand, if the bees feed on orange flowers, the honey will be lighter in colour.
Processing of raw honey
The raw and purest form of honey is the one that is extracted from the hive. The honey spun from the honeycomb is not heated or filtered and hence consists of particles like pollen, natural wax or propolis.
There is high demand for raw and unfiltered honey production in the world as it consists of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Moreover, it is healthy and even acts as a natural sweetener.
However, raw honey is processed further for packaging and commercial sale. It is processed to retain elements like moisture, enzyme, gluconic acid etc., to a tolerable limit.
Here are some steps involved in commercial honey production:
- The world’s commercial honey production is done by further processing raw honey. Processing is important because when raw honey comes in contact with oxygen, it starts to crystallise immediately.
- Processed honey is instantly exposed to air. However, when the honey is still in the wax caps, its direct contact with air is prevented.
- Processing is necessary to kill bacteria that might otherwise lead to food poisoning. For example, honey production is done by heating the raw honey at a temperature between 150 to 170°C.
- Honey in its natural form is whitish, but its pasteurisation turns the colour yellowish. The processing helps in improving the overall shelf-life of honey.
Commercial honey production process
Commercial honey is processed to prevent crystallisation, make it lighter, and prevent contamination. The top honey production process includes a number of the process, which are as follows:
Formation and deposition – The first step of honey processing is the collection of honey within wooden or boxed sections.
The bees build the honeycomb and collect nectar. Apiculturists generally have thousands of bee colonies that produce 100+ pounds of honey annually. The enzymes ripen the honey and increase the sugar content. Finally, the honey bees cap honey wall cells and seal with wax.
Pacifying the honey bees is tricky, and the bees are first pacified with smoke. This reduces their aggressiveness during honey collection. In addition, the smoke alleviates them due to communication obscuring via pheromones.
Uncapping, extraction and storage – Uncapping the wax caps from the honeycomb cells is the first step for collection; The wax caps are scrapped to expose the honey.
Honey is then extracted from inside the cells by spinning in an extractor, and the waste is drained. It is then stored well.
Heating and filtration – Heating is necessary to reduce its viscosity and stickiness. Heating also reduces moisture content, destroys contaminants, enhances shelf life, and delays the crystallisation process.
For commercial processes, all the honey production in the world requires filtration to produce the clear product.
Further, honey is subjected to ultrasonication which destroys any remaining yeast cells, inhibits crystallisation and even retains flavour and aroma. On the other hand, creaming is a process that helps in controlled crystal formation and prevents large crystal formation.
Conclusion
Honey production in the world has become a profession for many people across the globe. With China being the world’s biggest honey producer, it generates and exports large amounts of different types of honey across various countries. The top honey production process includes multiple steps starting with harvesting honey bees, preparing deposition units and creating a space for the bees to deposit nectar. It is followed by a collection of honey, heating and filtration, which prevents the crystallisation process and improves its overall texture, flavour and taste.