Abstract
Honey is characterized as a natural and raw foodstuff that can be consumed not only as a sweetener but also as medicine due to its therapeutic impact on human health. It is prone to adulterants caused by humans that manipulate the quality of honey. Although honey consumption has remarkably increased in the last few years all around the world, the safety of honey is not assessed and monitored regularly. Since the number of consumers of honey adulteration have increased in recent years, their trust and interest in this valuable product has decreased. Honey adulterants are any substances that are added to the pure honey. In this regard, this paper provides a comprehensive and critical review of the different types of adulteration, common sugar adulterants and detection methods, and draws a clear perspective toward the impact of honey adulteration on human health. Adulteration increases the consumer’s blood sugar, which can cause diabetes, abdominal weight gain, and obesity, raise the level of blood lipids and can cause high blood pressure. The most common organ affected by honey adulterants is the liver followed by the kidney, heart, and brain, as shown in several in vivo research designs.
Highlights
The standards of Codex Alimentarius [1] defines honey as the natural sweet substance from the nectar of plants or secretions of living parts of the plants that are stored and dehydrated by honey bees to improve its nutritional properties and become consumable for humans.Honey, traditionally, is used for its anti-aging properties, enhancing the immune system, killing bacteria, treatment of bronchial phlegm, and relieving a sore throat, cough, and cold [2].according to literature, honey represents various pharmacological properties such as anti-inflammatory [3], antioxidant [4], anti-cancer activities against breast and cervical cancer [5], prostate cancer [6], and osteosarcoma [7]
The significant impact of honey adulteration on market loss, reducing the quality of honey, shows the importance of studies to investigate different honey adulterants, adulteration methods, and detection methods. This fraud has an adverse impact on the honey production industry and market by reducing the trust of consumers on this valuable product
All six studied sugar adulterants have health disadvantages toward human health based on their LD50 value and internal organ toxicology
Summary
The standards of Codex Alimentarius [1] defines honey as the natural sweet substance from the nectar of plants or secretions of living parts of the plants that are stored and dehydrated by honey bees to improve its nutritional properties and become consumable for humans. Due to its limited availability, proved therapeutic and healing properties, and the increased population concerns regarding their health, there is a rising demand for the natural food product This increased economic value would make honey a vulnerable adulteration target [12]. While honey is a well-known high nutritional value food, it can be toxic naturally by transferring plant toxins such as pyrrolizidine alkaloids, or because of adulterants that are added into the pure honey by mankind to gain economic profits [13]. Honey adulteration is due to various reasons, such as adding sugars to enhance the taste based on the consumer’s preference or gaining financial profits by mixing cheap and low-quality honey to the expensive honey to increase the yield.
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