Preface

Even in this age of digitalization and technological advancements, natural food items are highly sought after and consumed. Among various natural products, honey stands alone as a supersaturated solution of sugars with a complex chemical composition prepared by honeybees in a beehive. The chemical composition of honey is dependent on beekeeping practices, climatic conditions, type of honeybee species, and botanical source. It is a complex mixture of numerous types of bioactive components such as phenolics, enzymes, organic acids, peptides, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that have beneficial health effects in combatting various diseases and cancers and in wound healing. Honey is considered the world's oldest medicine and is being studied as a therapeutic agent in modern medicine due to its inhibitory effect against microbial infections. Additionally, it acts as a natural preservative in many food applications. There is a plethora of literature that describes the physicochemical, geographical origin, and authentication of honey in this modern era. This book focuses on honey production in beehives and provides information on honey's geographical, entomological, and botanical origins. It also examines modern beekeeping technologies and honey's therapeutic potential to combat various maladies. Furthermore, the book describes the utilization of honey in processed food items.

### **Muhammad Imran and Rabia Shabir Ahmad**

Associate Professors, Faculty of Life Sciences, Department of Food Science, Government College University Faisalabad (GCUF), Faisalabad, Pakistan

### **Muhammad Haseeb Ahmad**

Assistant Professor, Faculty of Life Sciences, Department of Food Science, Government College University Faisalabad (GCUF), Faisalabad, Pakistan

**1**

Section 1

Honey and Its Authentication

and Therapeutic Potential

Section 1
