To bee or not to bee: the chemistry of honey

Chemically, honey consists of different types of sugars. These can be mixed and produced artificially. In terms of biology, enzymes and a lot of other molecules are added in the stom- ach of the bee. This makes honey a fantastic starting point for learning about biochemistry.

In a series of experiments, students learn methods to distinguish real honey from artificial honey, and they investigate different aspects and phenomena of honey and bees. The activities are suitable for secondary school students.

Author:

Thomas Scheuber is a biology teacher at the Gymnasi- um Kirschgarten in Basel, Switzerland. He represented Switzerland at the Science on Stage festival in Prague, Czech Republic, in 2022 with his experiments using honey, and he recently completed further training as a beekeeper.