Beekeeping products have long been valued by mankind as a nutritious and tasty product. Honey sweetness, like other products, is divided into species, today's article is devoted to one of them, namely monoflora.
What is monofleur honey, description and characteristics
The prefix "mono", formed from the Greek "monos", which means one. That is, it is a product that consists of one component. Bees collect bribes to produce nectar from a single plant. Sometimes there are inclusions of other herbs or flowers in the composition, which is not surprising, since the bees do not fly along the route specified by the person.
However, nectar is considered monoflore, in which the share of one honey plant is 40 percent or more of the total mass. The color of the product depends on the main component, for example, berry nectar collected from flowering cotton or acacia will be very light, almost transparent tones.
A flower product collected from a meadow or field plant can be painted in all shades of yellow: from golden to orange. Forage herbs, cereals and some medicinal plants stain nectar in dark colors: orange red, swamp, dark brown.
The crystallization time of one-component honey is also different, but there is a unifying feature: it changes color to a lighter, sometimes almost white color.
Consistency in one-component varieties is often liquid, but there are also thick and viscous varieties, for example:
- sunflower;
- buckwheat;
- coriander.
What is the difference between monoflore and polyfleur honey
The main difference between the varieties in the composition: "poly" means a lot.
A multicomponent product contains pollen from different plants, distinguish it at the place of collection:
- meadow;
- taiga;
- mountain, etc.
If a monoflore variety can be given a specific characteristic (color, viscosity), then in the case of a multiflore product it is more difficult to do. At different times of the year, for example, in the same meadow or in the foothills, different plants with specific properties can bloom.
The proportion in the composition of a honey plant also matters. Monoflera honey always has the same properties characteristic of a particular variety.
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Due to the abundance of ingredients in the composition, multicomponent nectar has a heterogeneous color, different taste impurities, mixed aroma.
The same applies to the calorie content of both varieties:
- in a single-component variety, the number of calories does not change;
- polyflera species can change calories depending on the number of components and their predominance in the composition.
Types of monoflore honey
There are actually as many varieties of nectar with a one-component composition as there are honey plants.
The most common of them are collected from the flowers of such plants:
- acacia - maintains a liquid structure throughout the year. The color is light yellow, branchy aroma and a soft taste without bitterness;
- barberry - golden hue, with a characteristic caramel flavor and aftertaste;
- cornflower - yellow-green, with almond flavor and bitterness in the aftertaste;
- heather - dark in color with a predominance of red, may be yellow-orange. It has almost no smell, it tastes bitter and tart;
- buckwheat - saturated brown or dark brown color, dense texture, with a slightly sharp aroma of spice;
- sweet clover - light, viscous during crystallization, in the taste and smell there are floral and herbal notes;
- angelica - has a red tint, the aroma of herbs, sweet with a tart aftertaste;
- blackberry - pleasant berry aroma and sweet taste, nectar color translucent, very light amber, liquid consistency;
- clover - does not have a bright aroma, sweet, dense structure, creamy yellow color;
- Linden - golden yellow, liquid, floral aroma. The taste is delicate sweet without astringency and bitterness;
- raspberry- the taste and aroma are saturated floral and berry, color is yellow, the structure is liquid;
- sunflower - dark brown in color, with the smell of oilcake, tastes sweet, but with bitterness.
Useful and harmful properties
- Honey has always been used for medicinal purposes, it has a lot of useful properties:
- anti-inflammatory;
- antibacterial;
- wound healing;
- immunomodulatory;
- sedative;
- increasing appetite.
Honey contains a large amount of minerals and vitamins necessary for humans, in particular:
- almost the entire group B;
- beauty vitamins - A, E, C;
- minerals that improve blood composition - iron, copper, manganese;
- Elements necessary for the growth and strengthening of bone, muscle and connective tissues - phosphorus, fluorine, calcium;
- for the cardiovascular system - potassium, magnesium;
- for reproductive - zinc, selenium.
In folk medicine, a treat is used to treat diseases of the nasopharynx and respiratory tract. Outwardly, nectar is used to heal wounds and skin problems. Regular use of the product will strengthen the immune system and establish metabolic and digestive processes.
Monoflore varieties, in addition to general useful qualities, have their own special therapeutic effect on a specific health problem.
- For instance:
- acacia variety - One of the less allergenic foods, most suitable for patients with diabetes, because it contains more fructose. Useful for central nervous system, skin and eye health, circulatory system;
- sunflower - Genitourinary system, musculoskeletal system;
- chestnut - prevention of thrombosis, diseases of the biliary organs;
- coriander - cardiovascular system, sexual dysfunction;
- milk thistle - liver disease, externally for hair restoration during baldness;
- lime - for the treatment of the nasopharynx and respiratory system.
The harm from the use of nectar can be in the case of individual intolerance to the components of the product. In this case, skin rash, runny nose and headache are possible.
Methods for producing monoflore honey
Many beekeepers, having mobile apiaries, travel to regions where there are fields or meadows with a predominance of one plant for the honey harvest season: buckwheat, clover and others. Another option is to plant the desired berries or herbs near the stationary apiary.
The basic rules for collecting one-component nectar:
- Placement of beehives in the immediate vicinity of the honey plant.
- Placement of bees in a group of no more than 60 families.
- Before flowering begins, the beekeeper needs to pump out all the honey stock, excluding the brood frame.
- Pumping out a pure product is carried out in a honey separator without a bee bread and brood.
Important! The maximum amount of nectar of a honey plant is secreted at a temperature of + 18 ... + 25 ° C. In intense heat, above + 40 ° C, the flowering of flowers with a sweet liquid ceases.
In the 30s of the last century, scientists at the Moscow Beekeeping Station conducted a successful experiment, the results of which many beekeepers are successfully using now. Bees were fed with syrup from the same plant in order to stimulate the desire to visit it during departure. The conditioned reflex was assimilated: during the departure, the insects gave preference to the heather massif, on which they were “dragged”.
Video: how to get monofleur honey on a weak honey plant
Rules and regulations for use
When using a sweet treat, you need to remember its calorie content, depending on the variety 300-400 kcal / 100 g. In addition, you need to take into account that an abuse can provoke an allergic reaction, since it contains a large number of different substances.
Beekeepers claim that it is safe to eat up to 150 g of product per day, without compromising on health and shape. Doctors shift this value to 50 g per day. Given both opinions and the individuality of each organism, a person can determine the rate of use independently.
With a sedentary lifestyle, sedentary work and a tendency to be overweight, this amount should be less than with active sports and increased energy consumption. In addition, when determining the rate of honey, you need to take into account the menu for the day, especially if you follow the figure and count calories.
Pediatricians do not recommend honey for children under 3 years of age, since an immature enzyme system may run into a digestive problem
Duration and storage conditions
The shelf life of a product depends on its variety, on average 12 months.
According to the standards established by the state, honey is stored in a hermetically sealed container under certain conditions:
- temperature - -6 ... + 18 ° С;
- humidity not higher than 75%;
- lighting is absent.
Under the influence of sunlight, a large number of components, in particular antibiotics, are destroyed. During storage, it is important to choose the container material: glass, wood. When choosing wooden dishes, keep in mind that needles or oak change the color and aroma of goodies. Metal containers are not suitable because of the possible interaction of nectar acids with metal salts.
By purchasing a honey product for medicinal purposes, you can choose a monoflore variety with the appropriate properties. Such a product will be of maximum benefit, but you need to buy certified products so as not to encounter a fake.
