Global research trends and productivity on Honey (1900-2019)

Abstract

Honey is a natural product with widespread nutritional and therapeutic potential for a long time. Despite expanding magnitude, sparse exploration of related research output is observed. This comprehensive bibliometric study evaluated the honey related literature (1900-2019) through a wide range of known metrics. Data were extracted from the Web of Science database, and the “R-Bibliometrix” package was used for analysis. The search yielded 18197 documents from 3391 sources and 160 countries led by the USA. Articles (77.7%) were the leading publication type. Six (6) authors showed ≥ 100 publications with Robinson GE (USA) as the most prolific author. Sixteen (80%) of the 20 highly cited documents were published from 2002 to 2010 with the source ‘Food Chemistry’ as the major contributor. Nineteen (19) sources showed ≥ 100 publications led by the ‘American Bee Journal’. Entomology, Food Science Technology, and Chemistry were the most common research areas. Findings showed rising numbers of documents though the majority published in recent decades. The USA contributed > 1/4th of global publications, while top 20 countries shared >80% with limited contributions from other regions. Diverse coverage from basics to therapeutic levels was found, yet more clinical studies are expected and recommended.