Hydrogen Peroxide in Honey: How Much There Is and Why It Forms
Hydrogen peroxide in honey sounds alarming until you learn how little of it there is and where it comes from. It is not added by anyone. It forms naturally, in tiny amounts, when a bee enzyme reacts with the sugar glucose. Scientists study it because it helps explain why honey keeps for so long and why some honeys behave differently from others in the lab. Here is what is known, what changes the level, and what it means for the honey in your pantry.
For general education only, not medical advice. Our honey is a food and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
How hydrogen peroxide in honey forms
Bees add an enzyme called glucose oxidase to nectar while they ripen it. The enzyme takes glucose and oxygen and produces gluconic acid plus hydrogen peroxide.
In thick, ripe honey the reaction runs slowly. When honey is diluted, the reaction speeds up and more peroxide forms. That is why researchers who measure peroxide usually mix honey with water first.
Honey also contains catalase, another enzyme that breaks peroxide down into water and oxygen. The amount you could measure in any given jar is the result of both enzymes working at once.
How much is actually there
Even at its peak in diluted honey, the peroxide level is far lower than in the brown bottle in a medicine cabinet. It is released slowly and steadily rather than all at once.
Because the level depends on dilution, temperature and the honey's own chemistry, there is no single number for all honey. Two jars from different flowers can differ many times over.
| Factor | Effect on peroxide |
|---|---|
| Dilution with water | Raises production, up to a point |
| Heat | Lowers it by damaging the enzyme |
| Light exposure | Linked to lower activity in some studies |
| High catalase | Breaks peroxide down faster |
| Floral source | Plant compounds can raise or lower the level |
What researchers have found
A widely cited study in the FASEB Journal looked at what made one medical-grade honey active against bacteria in the lab. It found that hydrogen peroxide was one factor, alongside sugar, acidity, methylglyoxal and a bee protein called defensin-1.
A later study on honeydew honey, published through the National Library of Medicine, found that plant compounds in the honey help drive peroxide production. That helps explain why some honeys show stronger peroxide activity than others.
Manuka honey is a well-known exception. Much of its lab activity comes from methylglyoxal in honey, not peroxide, which is why it is sometimes called non-peroxide activity.
Why this does not make honey a medicine
Lab findings describe what honey does in a dish. They are not the same as evidence that eating honey has a particular effect. Stomach acid and digestion change the picture entirely.
Wound products made with honey are sterilized and regulated. Kitchen honey is not sterile and should not be used on cuts, burns or sores. If you have a wound that worries you, see a health professional.
Keeping honey at its best
If you value honey's natural chemistry, treat it gently. These habits are easy:
- Keep the jar closed, at room temperature and out of direct sunlight.
- Warm crystallized honey in a water bath rather than a microwave.
- Add honey to drinks once they have cooled a little.
- Choose raw honey that has not been pasteurized.
Hydrogen peroxide in honey compared with household peroxide
The hydrogen peroxide sold in pharmacies is usually a 3 percent solution. Hydrogen peroxide in honey is produced at levels thousands of times lower, and only gradually, as the bee enzyme does its work.
That slow, low-level release is part of what interests researchers. A 2010 study in the FASEB Journal treated peroxide as one ingredient in a group of factors rather than a single active agent.
It also means there is no reason to worry about hydrogen peroxide in honey when you eat it. It is a normal part of the food, and the amounts involved are tiny.
Myths about hydrogen peroxide in honey
A few common claims come up often online. Here is how they hold up:
- Myth: all honey has the same peroxide level. In fact, levels vary widely by flower, season and handling.
- Myth: more peroxide means a healthier honey to eat. Peroxide activity is a lab measure, not a nutrition score.
- Myth: honey peroxide works like a disinfectant in the body. There is no evidence for that, and digestion changes honey completely.
- Myth: dark honey always has the most. Darker honeys are richer in many compounds, but catalase can still keep peroxide low.
A food first
Honey's chemistry is interesting, but most of us buy it because it tastes good. Our types of honey guide is a friendly place to explore flavors.
All eight Al Safa honeys are raw and never heated above hive temperature. See the range in our shop, and read more in honey antibacterial properties.
Sources
Outside health sources we used for this article. They open in a new tab.
- How honey kills bacteria (FASEB Journal, 2010) · PubMed
- Phytochemicals-mediated production of hydrogen peroxide is crucial for high antibacterial activity of honeydew honey · National Library of Medicine (PMC)
- Biochemical Reactions and Their Biological Contributions in Honey · Molecules (via National Library of Medicine)
Frequently asked questions
- Is there really hydrogen peroxide in honey?
- Yes, in very small amounts. It forms when the bee enzyme glucose oxidase reacts with glucose, mainly when honey is diluted.
- Is it safe to eat honey that contains hydrogen peroxide?
- Yes. The amounts are tiny and honey is a normal food for anyone over 12 months old. Babies under 12 months should never have honey because of the risk of infant botulism.
- Does manuka honey have hydrogen peroxide?
- Manuka honey can contain some, but much of its lab activity is linked to methylglyoxal instead. That is why it is described as having non-peroxide activity.
- Does heating honey remove hydrogen peroxide?
- Heat damages the enzyme that makes it, so heated honey tends to show lower peroxide activity in tests.
- How much hydrogen peroxide is in honey compared with a pharmacy bottle?
- Far less. Pharmacy peroxide is usually 3 percent, while hydrogen peroxide in honey forms slowly at levels thousands of times lower.
Al Safa Honey is a food producer, not a medical provider. Nothing here is medical advice, and these statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Talk to your doctor about any health concern. Never give honey of any kind to a baby under 12 months old.