The 2P Criteria: Pollen and Proline for Premium Honey

By David McCoper

Published: Monday, July 22, 2024

Honey: sweet, nutritious, and a storehouse of health! These are the main words that describe this miracle that nature offers us. However, there are two more words we need to know: Pollen and Proline. These words not only help us distinguish high-quality honey from low-quality honey but also enable us to make more informed decisions regarding health-focused honey consumption, which has significantly increased in recent years.

In today's world, where honey consumption increases daily, quality honey production unfortunately does not grow at the same rate. So, do we have enough information to distinguish quality honey from others? Or is there enough information provided to us to make this distinction?

Pollen: Botanical Origin

Pollen is the name given to tiny, dust-like grains containing the reproductive cells of flowering plants. It contains proteins, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Pollen with high nutritional value is an important food source for both bees and humans. Bees, which carry the pollen they collect to the hive and use it to make honey, visit more than 4 million flowers to produce approximately 1 kg of honey. During these visits, they collect pollen from most of the flower species around the hive. This pollen diversity reflects the identity of the honey.

The pollen variety is the first thing to consider and even need to know when choosing honey. The taste, aroma, and health benefits of honey depend on the botanical characteristics of the plants from which bees collect pollen. .

Taste and Aroma

Pollen type is the most crucial element that determines taste and aroma. For example, honey dominated by chestnut flower pollen has a more pungent flavor, while honey dominated by thyme pollen has a softer taste. Since honey usually has multiple pollen types, it is crucial to know the dominant ones and make the selection accordingly.

Health Benefits

The health benefits of honey have been known since ancient times. However, in recent years, the publication of numerous scientific articles on this subject has made honey consumption for health purposes a trend. The main factor shaping the health benefits of honey is botanical diversity. Therefore, understanding pollen diversity is essential for conscious honey consumption aimed at health benefits.

Botanical Origin And Health Benefits>

How Do I Understand Botanical Diversity?

Laboratory testing is the only way to know the botanical diversity of a honey entirely. If the seller does not share botanical information in detail, comments can be made by paying attention to a few headings to get a rough understanding.

Honey Colour

The color of honey depends entirely on the type of herbal source. Therefore, one can have an idea about the botanical source of honey by evaluating its color. For example, while lavender honey is light golden in color, black cumin honey is dark red. In general, when it comes to the color of honey, there is a general belief that light-colored honey has a lighter taste, while dark-colored honey has a more intense and robust taste.

Harvest Location

Bees collect pollen from an area within approximately 5 miles of the hive’s location. The resulting honey will reflect the dominant flower pollens of that area, which can provide insight into the pollen diversity of the honey. Knowing the location is particularly important for those seeking high-quality honey and wishing to avoid mixed honey.

Honey Taste

Each type of pollen has a flavor pattern that it creates in honey. By tasting, the particularly dominant pollen type can be understood. But this will require experience. For example, chestnut honey, which has a very strong and sharp taste, can be recognized immediately, but the chestnut pollen percentage can also be estimated.

Proline: Purity And Quality

Proline is an important amino acid found naturally in honey that determines the quality and purity of honey. Proline, which forms the basis of the health benefits of honey, is found only in honey in a bioform suitable for humans and in high levels.

What is Proline >

The higher the Proline value of honey, the higher its quality and health benefits. Therefore, knowing the proline value is extremely important when choosing honey.

What is the Amount of Proline in Honey?

The amount of proline in honey varies depending on the source of the nectar, the types of flowers the bees visit, and the methods of processing the honey. Pure honey contains a minimum of 180 mg of proline per kilogram. This amount is directly related to the enzymatic activities of bees in the honey-making process. The amount of proline can reach values up to 800 mg or even higher.

How Can I Determine the Proline Value in Honey

Unfortunately, it is not possible to determine the proline value by looking at it with the naked eye or by making a practical application. This is only possible with a laboratory analysis. Nowadays, some honey companies share their analyses with consumers. This information can be taken into consideration when making a purchasing decision.

We Have Options With All The Information, Unlike Others

As Garisar, our passion for open and transparent information is as strong as our passion for quality. We transparently share the pollen botanical diversity, proline values, location information and pollen count values of all our honey varieties so that you can make a more accurate and informed decision.