Honey
Honey is the sweet substance produced by honey bees from the nectar of plants or from the secretions of plant sucking insects, which the bees transform by combining it with enzymes of their own, deposit in the comb and concentrate by evaporation until it ripens. Compositionally it is a supersaturated sugar solution: roughly 38 percent fructose, 31 percent glucose, 7 percent other sugars and 17 percent water, with small amounts of organic acids, minerals, amino acids, enzymes and aroma compounds.
Its physical behaviour follows from that composition. The water content sits below the level most microorganisms can grow in, and the low pH, around 3.9, adds further protection, which is why honey keeps indefinitely without preservation. Because it is supersaturated in glucose, most honeys crystallise on standing, the rate depending on the ratio of glucose to fructose; a high fructose honey such as acacia stays liquid for a long time while oilseed rape honey sets within weeks.
Honey is fully miscible with water and highly viscous, with viscosity falling sharply as it warms. Heat is the main quality hazard: warming above about 40 degrees Celsius progressively destroys the enzyme diastase and generates hydroxymethylfurfural, and these two figures are the standard indicators of whether a honey has been overheated or is old.
We source bulk Honey from top China manufacturers for our partners, working with several of them. The manufacturers are in Guangdong, Henan and Shanghai. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
Please send the grade you need, the volume and your destination port, and we will come back with a solution and a price.
or call +86-21-6858 0751
- Function
- Sweetener
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Viscous liquid or crystallised mass, water white to dark amber |
| Flavour and Odour | Characteristic of floral source, free from fermented notes |
| Moisture | ≤ 20.0% |
| Fructose plus Glucose | ≥ 60.0 g/100 g |
| Sucrose | ≤ 5.0 g/100 g |
| Identification | Conforms by pollen analysis and sugar profile |
| Hydroxymethylfurfural | ≤ 40 mg/kg |
| Diastase Activity | ≥ 8 Schade units |
| Free Acidity | ≤ 50 milliequivalents/kg |
| Electrical Conductivity | ≤ 0.8 mS/cm for blossom honey |
| Water Insoluble Solids | ≤ 0.1 g/100 g |
| Colour (Pfund) | As declared for the grade |
| Lead | ≤ 0.1 mg/kg |
| Chloramphenicol | Not detected |
| Sulphonamides and Nitrofurans | Not detected |
| Yeast and Mould | ≤ 100 cfu/g |
| Salmonella | Negative in 25 g |
Common Markets Grades
Honey is graded first by botanical origin. Monofloral honeys, in which one nectar source predominates, such as acacia, manuka, rape, clover, orange blossom or buckwheat, are verified by pollen analysis and physicochemical profile and command a premium; polyfloral or blossom honey is the general article, and honeydew honey, made from insect secretions rather than nectar, is a distinct type with higher mineral content and electrical conductivity.
Physical form gives the second split: liquid or extracted honey, creamed or set honey seeded with fine crystals to give a smooth spreadable texture, comb honey, and dried honey powder made with a carrier. Industrial bulk honey for baking and manufacturing is traded on colour, measured on the Pfund scale, and on moisture, hydroxymethylfurfural and diastase, with light amber material generally attracting a higher price. Manuka honey is graded separately on methylglyoxal content. Organic certified honey is a distinct line, and the parameters that most concern buyers of bulk material are moisture content, sugar syrup adulteration and antibiotic residues.
Applications
- Table honey sold in jars, tubs and portion packs for direct consumption
- Bakery products, where the fructose content holds moisture and promotes crust colour
- Breakfast cereals, granola and bars, as a binder and sweetener carrying its own flavour
- Confectionery such as nougat, halva and honey caramels
- Sauces, marinades and glazes, where the sugars caramelise under grilling and roasting
- Cough and throat preparations, using the viscosity and demulcent character
- Fermented drinks, principally mead, and as an adjunct in brewing
- Dairy products, particularly yoghurt and ice cream, as a flavoured sweetener
- Cosmetics and skin care, as a humectant in masks, cleansers and balms
- Wound care products based on medical grade honey, sterilised by irradiation
Brands Using Honey
Widely-distributed consumer products that list Honey on the ingredient label.
- Nate's Honey100% Pure Raw & Unfiltered Honey ↗The ingredients statement reads simply Honey, and the page states the bottle is gently warmed and unfiltered so pollen stays in.Label verified 2026-08-31
- Manuka HealthManuka Honey Classic MGO 300+ ↗The ingredients statement reads monofloral MGO 300+ manuka honey, the single ingredient in the jar.Label verified 2026-08-31
Brand names, product names and logos are the property of their owners. They appear here as published evidence that the ingredient is used, taken from the brand's own label or website. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and it does not mean the brand buys from us or from any manufacturer listed on this site.
China Manufacturers of Honey
Top Honey manufacturers in China.
Aafud Industry (Zhuhai) Co., Ltd.1 ingredient in the directory
Melifera (Zhengzhou) Technology Co., Ltd.4 ingredients in the directory
Shanghai Senfengyuan Bee Products Co., Ltd.1 ingredient in the directory
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
Regulatory Status
In the United States, honey is a food, and the FDA has issued guidance on the proper labelling of honey and honey products which addresses the naming of blends and of honey containing added sweeteners. There is no federal standard of identity, but the United States Department of Agriculture maintains voluntary grade standards for extracted honey based on moisture, flavour, absence of defects and clarity. Honey must not be given to infants under twelve months because of the risk of infant botulism, and this is standard label advice. Imported honey is subject to residue testing and, for certain origins, to antidumping duties and to origin verification.
In the European Union, honey is governed by the honey directive, which defines the product and its types, prohibits the addition of any food ingredient or additive, and sets compositional criteria including sugar content, moisture, water insoluble solids, electrical conductivity, free acid, diastase activity and hydroxymethylfurfural. It also requires the country or countries of origin to be stated on the label. Honey is a food rather than an additive, so no E number applies. Residues of veterinary medicines are controlled under the residue limits framework, and chloramphenicol and nitrofurans are prohibited substances for which imported honey is routinely screened. Codex has adopted a standard for honey setting essentially the same compositional criteria, and JECFA has not assigned it an additive evaluation.
Manufacturing Process
Honey is collected rather than manufactured. Bees gather nectar, add invertase and other enzymes that split sucrose into glucose and fructose, and fan the comb to evaporate water until the moisture falls to about 17 percent, at which point they cap the cells with wax. The beekeeper removes capped frames, and the wax cappings are sliced off with a heated knife or a mechanical uncapper.
The uncapped frames are placed in a radial extractor, a centrifuge that flings the honey out of the comb without destroying it so the frames can be returned to the hive. The extracted honey is strained through coarse screens to remove wax, then usually warmed gently to between 35 and 40 degrees Celsius to lower its viscosity for filtration and settled in tanks so that air bubbles and fine wax rise to the surface. Packers filter it, either coarsely, which retains the pollen, or finely, which removes it and delays crystallisation. For creamed honey, finely milled seed crystals are blended into the liquid honey and the mass is held at around 14 degrees Celsius until it sets to a smooth texture. Bulk industrial honey may be flash heated and rapidly cooled to delay crystallisation, and moisture is reduced under vacuum where a parcel arrives above specification. Every heating step is kept as brief and as cool as possible, since diastase and hydroxymethylfurfural are the parameters that will be tested.
