Acacia honey is a variety of honey produced by bees that comes from the nectar gathered from the flowers of the acacia plant. Manufacturers often add acacia honey to sports drinks to give these beverages a flowery taste. Acacia honey has a milder taste than many other varieties of honey and also does not crystallize.
General Description
Acacia honey is almost transparent to light yellow. Its flavor is described as either floral or vanilla. According to "The Honey Prescription: The Amazing Power of Honey as Medicine," acacia honey does not crystallize easily because of its high fructose concentration. This means acacia honey can remain in a liquid form for long periods of time. Additionally, you can use acacia honey as a sweetener. Purported health benefits of acacia honey include the treatment of acute respiratory diseases, headaches, kidney diseases and atherosclerosis. Additionally, you can use acacia honey as a sedative for nervous disorders and insomnia. However, current clinical research does not support these purported benefits of acacia honey.
Composition
Acacia honey contains phenolic acids, abscisic acid and free flavonoids. There are three phenolic acids, p-hydroxybenzoic, ferullic and t-cinnamic acid. Additionally, there are five free flavonoids, pinobanksin, apigenin, pinocembrin, crysin and acacetin. The phenolic acid profile of acacia honey also includes p-coumaric, p-hydroxybenzoic, t-cinnamic and vanillic acid quantified in varying amounts depending on the honey. The precise amount of phenolic acids in acacia honey depends on the geographical area where the honey originated.
Uses
You can use acacia honey to sweeten drinks without changing the taste or smell of the beverage. Additionally, you can use acacia honey as a spread on breads with solid crusts and soft interiors. Additionally, an acacia honey spread can serve as a replacement to condiments such as mustard and mayonnaise. Further, you can use acacia honey as a replacement for sugar or other sweeteners in many recipes. According to "The Honey Prescription: The Amazing Power of Honey as Medicine," because acacia honey contains fructose, a sugar, the honey can also provide a temporary energy boost and can stimulate appetite and speed recovery.
Benefits
According to the National Honey Board, acacia honey has antimicrobial properties just like any other honey variety. The National Honey Board states that the antimicrobial properties of honey result from the natural production of hydrogen peroxide during the honey making process. Honey also contains antioxidant properties, although darker honey will have higher antioxidant properties than light honeys such as acacia honey.
References
- "The Honey Prescription: The Amazing Power of Honey as Medicine"; Nathaniel Altman; 2010
- Honey: What is Honey?
- "Integrative Medicine"; David Rakel; 2002
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