Content of the article:
At the end of May clusters of fragrant flowers appear on acacia, and it is time for active work to come for bees:they collect nectar and produce acacia honey from it. It is considered one of the best and most popular varieties and is valued for its exquisite taste and healthy properties.
Acacia flowers are a medicine that is widely used in traditional medicine. After processing by the bees of their nectar, a unique natural product is obtained, possessing not only healing properties, but also unsurpassed taste qualities.
Acacia is a generous honey plant. The flowering of the trees does not last long, but over this short time, under favorable weather conditions, beekeepers receive from 500 to 1000 kilograms of honey per hectare of plantations.
Description and characteristics of the variety
Acacia honey refers to monoflerny varieties, that is, collected by bees from one type of flowering plants, free from impurities. This product is valued the most and is a kind of quality standard. Acacia honey has a characteristic taste and smell, unique to this variety, and the most pronounced beneficial properties. There are contraindications, which will be discussed further.
The product, derived from acacia nectar, is transparent, with a mild flavor and a pleasant delicate aroma, characteristic of the fragrant flowers of this tree. There is no bitterness inherent in many varieties, and its consistency is fluid. This type of honey is appreciated by gourmets and is especially popular among lovers of bee products.
Bees can produce honey from nectar of white acacia( Robinia) or yellow acacia( Caragana).These two natural products differ somewhat from each other, both in their properties and in their external features:
- Honey, obtained from acacia, is light, almost transparent.
- The product, produced by yellow acacia bees, has a slight greenish tint.
The main distinguishing feature of acacia honey is its extremely slow crystallization. Under proper storage conditions, this product may be in a liquid state for more than a year. Such quality, not inherent in other varieties, due to the high content of fructose.
After this time, acacia honey begins to crystallize, or, in other words, to sugar. This is a natural process characteristic of all varieties of natural honey. After crystallization, it acquires a light creamy shade and fine-grained structure.
Acacia Honey: useful properties and contraindications
Acacia honey is not only a tasty delicacy, but also a very healthy product with healing properties. The valuable properties of acacia honey are due to the high content of fructose, which predominates significantly over other sugars. In some cases, this type of honey is allowed to be consumed by people with diabetes, after consulting with your doctor.
It has a beneficial effect on the body, helps to improve liver and kidney function, normalizes digestion and blood pressure. Acacia honey has beneficial properties:
- soothing;
- nutrient;
- antiseptic;
- fortifying.
This product is advised to take when nervous overexcitement, sleep disturbance and stressful situations. An aqueous solution of honey and ointment based on it is used to treat skin diseases. This healing product of beekeeping in cosmetology is widely used as a component of masks for skin and hair.
Apart from the beneficial properties of acacia honey, there are also contraindications. They are connected, first of all, with the individual intolerance of this product and the presence of allergic reactions. You should also remember about the high content of carbohydrates and high calorie content, which is 335 kcal per 100 grams. It is necessary to observe a measure and not to use this product in unlimited quantities.
White acacia honey is less allergenic than it compares favorably with other beekeeping products. This is due to the fact that it contains a very small amount of pollen. Nutritionists recommend including this product in the diet of children.
Choosing quality honey
Having learned how useful acacia honey is, and making your choice in favor of this sort, it is important to purchase a high-quality product. To be sure of its naturalness and avoid fakes, you can purchase honey flavored honeycombs.
In order to choose a really high-quality product, we will give a few recommendations on what to look for when buying:
- Color: very light, almost transparent. Light yellowish or greenish shade is possible, without inclusions, impurities and sediment.
- Taste: soft, without bitterness and foreign tastes. Sweet, but not cloying, with a pleasant aftertaste.
- Aroma: delicate, delicate, fragrant, with characteristic pleasant notes of blossoming acacia. There should be no extraneous odors or caramel color - it indicates that the honey has been heated.
- Consistency: liquid and fluid. Usually does not crystallize within a year after downloading.
- Structure: viscous and homogeneous. High-quality honey is necessarily viscous. It should literally be wound on a spoon and smoothly flow from it with a continuous elastic tape, forming a “slide”, which gradually spreads over the surface. If honey flows quickly or just dripping from a spoon, this indicates its low quality.
So that acacia med brought only good and does not harm the body, it should not be heated above 45 degrees or filled with boiling water. Heat destroys the beneficial elements contained in this product.
In addition, under its influence, the carcinogen oxymethylfurfural can form in honey. Drink tea with honey just a bit of sugar. If you add it to a very hot tea, there will be no more benefit than ordinary tea with sugar.
