Sunflower honey does not belong to exquisite honey varieties, however, in terms of nutrient composition and saturation, it is in no way inferior to more advanced honey products. Read more about honey from sunflower in the article.

Description and characteristics of sunflower honey

This product can be immediately distinguished by the characteristic features peculiar only to it.

What does it look like

Quickly crystallizing honey in a thickening state resembles dough or lard, coated with sugar crystals instead of salt.

Did you know? The diet of Japanese, Chinese and South Korean preschoolers and schoolchildren necessarily includes honey. And not any, namely sunflower.

Color

A freshly pumped product has a bright yellow or golden color, which darkens somewhat as it thickens, and when completely crystallized, it becomes covered with a white glucose crust.

Taste and Aroma

Sunflower honey does not smell like honey at all. Some trap hay smell in it, others - flower-pollen shades of smell, and still others - even the aroma of fried potatoes. After crystallization, the aromas exuded by the bee product become even less noticeable. But his taste is fully consistent with honey standards, with a characteristic bitterness.

Sugaring terms

This variety crystallizes so intensively that already after 2 weeks, a maximum of 3 after pumping, it is a dense mass covered with a white crust of glucose. And although the crystallization process is not so active in the honeycombs, this honey is not recommended by beekeepers as bee feed left for the winter.

The chemical composition and calorie content of the product

A very fast crystallization process is explained by the increased glucose content in the sunflower product. In all other senses, this product is practically no different from other bee honey varieties. A high percentage of glucose determines the high calorie content of the product, 100 g of which contain 320 kcal.

Nutritional value is determined by the content in it:

• 78% carbohydrates;
• 4% protein;
• 17% of water;
• 1% of minerals.

This product has in its composition more than 300 compounds in a form easily digestible by the human body, which is close to blood plasma. Did you know? Most people are mistaken in accepting sunflower for one large flower. In fact, each sunflower seed is the fruit of a single small flower. The groups of vitamins present in it:

• β-carotene;
• FROM;
• E;
• H;
• TO;
• PP

Micro and micro elements are presented:

• iodine;
• potassium;
• phosphorus;
• calcium
• copper;
• sodium;
• manganese;
• magnesium
• aluminum;
• cobalt;
• selenium.

A set of enzymes in the product is represented by enzymes:

• catalase;
• invertase;
• diastasis;
• phosphatase.

It is also saturated with almost all organic and amino acids, among which are most pronounced:

• oleic;
• linoleic;
• palmitic;
• stearic;
• linoceric;
• arachid;
• solantine.
  

Properties of honey for the human body

The rich and diverse composition of nutrients determines the great benefit that this product has on the human body. However, this does not always happen and not with everyone, which is not to blame for the product itself, but for the state of health of a particular person.

What is useful

• The real benefits of honey are expressed in:
• strengthening immunity and improving overall health;
• optimization of the digestive system;
• effective fight against colds and flu conditions;
• preventing the onset of arthrosis;
• prevention of atherosclerosis;
• elimination of problems in the genitourinary system;
• strengthening the cardiovascular system;
• cleansing the body of poisons and toxins;
• lowering the level of bad cholesterol in the blood;
• stimulation of the regenerative properties of cells.

Harm and contraindications

• Do not use a sunflower variety with:
• individual intolerance to the product;
• pregnancy and breastfeeding if the child has allergic reactions to the product;
• in the presence of children's diathesis;
• with diabetes;
• with obvious symptoms of obesity.

How to determine sunflower honey for naturalness at home

Natural sunflower variety must comply with the conditions mentioned above.

In addition, at home, the usefulness of the product can be checked in the following ways:

1. You need to try to rub his drop between the fingers. If at the same time the fingers stick together noticeably through the adhesive film formed between them, then the product is natural. Otherwise, either a watery consistency is formed between the fingers, or a lump rolling between the fingers is formed.
2. If you drop a drop of natural honey on a napkin, it will not spread.
3. When mixing the test product with water, additives will stand out from the counterfeit and settle to the bottom.
4. If you add a few drops of iodine in a container with liquid honey and mix the mixture, then if it is colored blue, you should talk about the presence of starch in the product.
5. When vinegar is added to the test product, the hissing that appears indicates the presence of chalk in the counterfeit.
6. If a 10% honey solution is poured into medical alcohol in a 4: 1 ratio, then the white precipitate formed will indicate the presence of sugar syrup in the fake.
7. One of the simplest and most effective methods of checking naturalness is to observe a small amount of the product placed on a piece of paper. In the case when after 5 minutes a wet spot appears on the back of the paper, we should talk about falsification. Natural honey does not leave a wet spot. This verification method is convenient to use when purchasing it on the market.
8. The authenticity of the crystallized bee product can be verified by fire. Natural honey will simply melt when exposed to fire. The fake in contact with fire will begin to hiss and crackle, indicating the presence of third-party ingredients.
9. It is easy to determine the authenticity of liquid honey by dipping a piece of bread in it. If after a quarter of an hour the bread does not soften, then the product is natural. Soaking bread indicates the presence of sugar syrup in a fake.

Video: How to distinguish real from fake honey

How to apply

The rate of daily consumption of honey is directly dependent on body weight and for a healthy person is in the range between 50 and 90 g. With anemia, to increase the level of hemoglobin in the blood, the rate of daily intake of the drug for a month can be increased to 150 g. When using sunflower honey and determining the method of how to take it, take into account the beneficial properties and medicinal qualities of sunflower, which almost all go into a bee product.

We recommend reading about the composition and useful properties of hawthorn honey.

In folk medicine

Traditional healers, using the healing properties of the product, successfully fight:

• colds and flu, for which they mix juice of 1 lemon with 100 g of honey for three daily intake of 1 tbsp. l .;
• pulmonary diseases through a mixture of a glass of carrot juice, horseradish and beetroot with a glass of sunflower honey ingredient, 30 ml of vodka and juice of 2 lemons, mixing everything for half an hour at room temperature in an enameled container and then taking 1 tbsp. l half an hour before each meal;
• cough, for which, in a well-washed radish, make a recess for 2 tbsp. l honey, which insist 4 hours, after which they take 1 tbsp. l three times a day half an hour before meals;
• severe runny nose with the help of red beet juice with honey ingredient added to it to obtain a 30 percent solution, which is then added 5 drops in each nostril up to 5 times a day.

In cosmetology

The ability of this variety to beneficially affect the quality of the hairline and stimulate the regenerative properties of skin cells causes its widespread use in cosmetology.

Here are a few ways to successfully use a bee product in cosmetics:

1. To make a hair mask, it is necessary to combine in equal proportions the sunflower honey ingredient, sunflower oil, chicken egg yolk, onion juice and shampoo, after which the product is applied to dry hair and after 2 hours rinse with warm water.
2. Another hair mask is obtained by mixing art. l honey ingredient, 150 ml of sunflower oil and 10 drops of sandalwood, geranium and lavender oils. After insisting in a water bath, the mask will eat on the hair for a third of an hour.
3. A hair mask can also be made from honey ingredient, sunflower oil, colorless henna and cognac, taken in equal proportions. The product is applied to the split ends of the hair for half an hour, after which it is washed off with warm water.

In cooking

This honey variety is very often used in the manufacture of all kinds of pastries due to its ability to give them a pleasant aroma. Also, this honey ingredient is widely used in the preparation of meat dishes, poultry, desserts and is an excellent sweetener of all kinds of drinks. In addition, it goes well with dairy products, nuts, vegetables, fruits and spices in the form of cinnamon and cardamom.

Important! Heating honey to a temperature exceeding +50 ° C deprives the product of most of its useful qualities. A similar process is observed when honey is added to the dough.

Here are a few recipes in which when cooking a sunflower honey variety does not lose its beneficial qualities:

1. To prepare a honey-nogue, you need to mix 2 cups of cold milk, 1 raw chicken egg, 6 tbsp. l honey and 2 tbsp. l lemon or orange juice and then beat the mixture until a homogeneous consistency is obtained. The drink is consumed chilled.
2. To prepare this salad, you need to chop 4 carrots, 30 g of walnuts, 3 garlic cloves, mix the ingredients and add 2 tbsp to the mixture. l sunflower honey and sour cream or mayonnaise to taste.

Terms and conditions of storage

The main goal, which is pursued during the storage of sunflower honey, is to save a maximum of useful substances in it. The importance of this moment is evidenced, for example, by the fact that only a daily content of a jar of honey in the sun can destroy more than half of all nutrients in it.

Hence the need:

• store it in a place protected from sunlight by a cool temperature, which should not exceed + 20 ° C;
• humidity during storage should not exceed 75%;
• it must be stored in clean glass, porcelain or clay dishes;
• vessels must be tightly closed with covers to prevent penetration of external odors into it.

Important! In no case should honey be stored in containers made of metal, since with a possible oxidation process in this case, the product acquires qualities that are harmful to the human body.

Sunflower honey due to its availability and relatively low cost is not considered an elite variety of this product. However, if we compare it, for example, with highly quoted linden honey, then by some important indicators the sunflower bee product is ahead of the famous fellow.