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Honey as Functional Food and Prospects in Natural Honey Production

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Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals

Abstract

Not all honey are made equal. Honey is a natural substance from a mixture of flower nectars or the secretions of plant-sucking insects that are collected and digested by honey bees. There are 300 known types of honey, produced by over 20,000 honey bee species, that vary in flavor, color, and health effects. For this reason, honey type and composition vary with geography, and angiosperm and honey bee species distribution. In this chapter, we discuss the different types of honey and their associated health benefits. We also provide insights on the future of honey production in the context of functional food advocacy, climate change and honey bee species decline.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Medicine Research Center, Davao Medical School Foundation, Inc., Davao City, Philippines

    Maria Catherine B. Otero & Leslie Bernolo

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  1. Maria Catherine B. Otero
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  2. Leslie Bernolo
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Correspondence to Maria Catherine B. Otero .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Uli, Nigeria

    Chukwuebuka Egbuna

  2. College of Medicine, Davao Medical School Foundation, Inc., Davao City, Philippines

    Genevieve Dable Tupas

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Otero, M.C.B., Bernolo, L. (2020). Honey as Functional Food and Prospects in Natural Honey Production. In: Egbuna, C., Dable Tupas, G. (eds) Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42319-3_11

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