Nectar, the Honey origin
Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectarines. This is found either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectarines on stems and leaves. This provides a nutrient source to animal mutualists, which in turn provide herbivore protection.

Nectar is made up of over 80% water, traces of proteins, ions, organic acids, essential oils, fructose, glucose, sucrose, vitamins and minerals. The content of sugar varies from 3 to 80 percent, dependant on the plant species, sunlight, soil moisture, and air humidity. Sunlight promotes the photosynthesis process and water evaporation, which would also contributes to the variation of the sugar in the nectar.

Did you know?
Nectar is a food source for ants, butterflies, dragonflies, bees, bears, bats, squirrels, raccoons, hummingbird, honeyeaters, hoverflies, wasps, moths, lizards, etc. These all consume nectar for its nutrients.

Nectar can also influence pollinator behaviour and hence can determine competitive ability for pollinator service, mating possibilities, and gene transmission. Nectar is alike to fruits as their sugar contents are both naturally produced by the same plants and trees. To answer the question of why honey is sweet, well its simply because bees consume nectar, which is sweet, to produce honey!

Sugar and its Many Names
Sugar is commonly used to name many everyday items such as table sugar, granulated sugar, white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, rock sugar or regular sugar.

However, sugar is much more than that. Simply put, sugar can be defined as simple sugar, or complex sugar. Simple sugars goes by this name because they only comprise of 1 molecule each and are easily broken down when digested. The three simple sugars are Glucose, Fructose and Galactose. Conversely, complex sugars goes by this name because they comprise of 2 molecules each, hence are also called a disaccharide (double sugar or bivose).

The three complex sugars are Sucrose, Lactose and Maltose. Sucrose comprises of these 2 simple sugars - Glucose and Fructose. It is extremely concentrated in sugarcane and sugar beet, making it the best product for making refined sugar. Lactose comprises of these 2 simple sugars - Glucose and Galactose. It is the only sugar that cannot be extracted from plants and can only be found in milk (including human breast milk) and some dairy products. Maltose comprises of two molecules of the same simple sugars – Glucose. It is usually found in wheat, corn, rice and sweet potatoes.

Bittersweet Reputation of Sugar
Sugar has many effects on our community. On one hand, it offers a steady supply of energy to our cells. On the other hand, excessive consumption of sugar can lead to health problems. Sugar can be used to increase flavour or extend shelf life of products. However, this leads to large amounts of sugar being consumed through many different means. For example, we all know that soft drinks, fruit drinks, flavoured yogurts, cereals, cookies, cakes, candy, chips, snacks, and most processed foods all contain sugar.

But did you know that added sugar is also present in rice, noodles, soups, bread, cured meats, non-carbonated drinks (coffee, tea, ice lemon tea, green tea, etc.), alcohol drinks, sauces like barbeque, curry, chilli, tartar, mayonnaise and ketchup? Not to forget, sugar also naturally occurs in all foods that contain carbohydrates, such as fruits and vegetables, grains, and dairy. This adds up to quite a large sum of sugar being consumed on a daily basis.

Excessive consumption of refined sugar has also impacted our community leading to the onset of obesity, diabetes, dementia, cardiovascular disease, stroke, higher blood pressure, inflammation, weight gain, and tooth decay. For instance, high amounts of sugar overloads the liver. Over time, this can lead to a greater accumulation of fat, which may turn into fatty liver disease.

Did you know?
One of sugar's properties is that it is flammable. The Imperial Sugar Refinery Explosion is one example of how its flammable property can have disastrous effects.

Sugar does not explode by itself. Sugar particle size, temperature, humidity and the intensity of heat spike are the key factors that lead to sugars being set ablaze, or even to explode. If sugar can be ignited, so can real honey.

After the desiccation process, the cell will be capped with bee pollen and beeswax to prevent fermentation which occurs if there is a reabsorption of water content. This ability of honey to easily absorb water content is also the reason why honey is the best natural moisturizer for our skin. When applied, honey is able to absorb water and transfer it to our skin. Unlike sugar, honey is a natural source with an abundance of simple sugars - Glucose and Fructose. This is also the reason why bees eat honey. Honey can be stored for long periods of time without degradation is a great energy source for bees to get them through their endless lifetime of work.

Choosing between Sugar and Honey
Sugar has more calories than honey, 3.8 calories per gram and 3 calories per gram respectively. Nutrients-wise, honey wins hands down.
Honey has a vast variety of nutrients, whereas sugar has little or no vitamins and minerals.
Sugar has the highest Glycaemic Index (GI) of 65 while honey ranges from 35 to 65. Bee enzymes are believed to have contributed to the lowering of the GI in honey.

Practically, it is impossible to use honey to substitute refined sugar in all aspects of our daily food intake.

Why then are we promoting honey?
To summarize, a regular intake of honey can lead to a substantial positive impact on our health.
The pollen present in all honey is also paramount to fighting allergies, toxins and skin issues.
Oddly enough, it also encourages the production of insulin in our blood which reduces blood sugar.

It is good to keep in mind that regardless of age, a balanced diet alone is not enough. Without sufficient digestive enzymes in our body, we will not be able to absorb the nutrients required by our body. Within a few years, health issues will slowly begin to surface, limiting our mind, heart and body before we can enjoy life. Digestive enzymes are present in honey.

This helps to break down:
1) Complex carbohydrates from foods such as noodles, rice, grains and potatoes into simple compounds;
2) Proteins into amino acids;
3) Sucrose & maltose into glucose & fructose.

Apicultura honey products are not to be confused with other honey products even if they have similar naming. Our honey products are tailored to address health challenges, rather than taking honey as it is. This tailored honey can be taken as a daily supplement, drink or even as a dressing on food to gain better absorption of nutrients, hence promoting better health gradually.