On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 1258

evaporationandthecontinuingworkofbee
enzymes.Oneimportantenzymeconvertsthe
sucrosealmostentirelytoglucoseand
fructose,becauseamixtureofsingle-unit
sugarsismoresolubleinwaterthanthe
equivalentamountofitsparentsucrose,and
socanbemorehighlyconcentratedwithout
crystallizing.Anotherenzymeoxidizessome
glucosetoformgluconicacidandperoxides.
Gluconicacidlowersthehoney’spHtoabout
3.9andmakesitlesshospitabletomicrobes,
andtheperoxidesalsoactasanantiseptic.In
additiontotheseandotherenzymeactivities,
thevariouscomponentsofripeninghoney
reactwitheachotherandcausegradual
changesincolorandflavor.Hundredsof
differentsubstanceshavebeenidentifiedin
honey,includingmorethan20different
sugars,savoryaminoacids,andavarietyof
antioxidantphenoliccompoundsand
enzymes.


Honeycomb, and the anatomy of the worker
bee.Workerbeesholdfreshlygatherednectar
in the honey sac, together with enzymes from
variousglands,untiltheyreturntothehive.
SweetAnts
Among the more unusual sweeteners are
the honey or honeypot ants (species of
Melophorus,Camponotus,Myrmecocystus)

of Australia, Mexico, and the American
southwest. Their colonies include a caste
of workers whose role it is to store nectar
and honeydew in their abdomens, which
swell to the size of a pea or grape and
become translucent. Honey ants are
enjoyedbypinchingofftheabdomensand
popping them directly into the mouth, or
byfoldingthemintotortillas.