Analysis of Biochemical Composition of Honey Samples from North-East Nigeria

Natural honey is one of the most widely sought products due to its unique nutritional and medicinal properties, which are attributed to the influence of the different groups of substances it contains. Codex Alimentarius Commission defined honey as the natural sweet substance produced by honey bees, Apis mellifera, from the nectar of plants (blossoms) or from the secretions of living parts of plants or excretions of plant sucking insects on the living parts of plants, which honey bees collect, transform by combining with specific substances of their own, deposit, dehydrate, store and leave in the honey comb to ripen and mature [1,2]. The bees are said to produce honey in order to serve as their source of food in times of scarcity or during harsh weather conditions [3].