Question Details

The chief constituent of honey is

Options

A

Disaccharides

B

Monosaccharide

C

Polysaccharides

D

Fats

Correct Answer :

Monosaccharide

Solution :

The correct option is Monosaccharide.

Honey is a natural sweet substance produced by honeybees from the nectar of plants. From a chemical perspective, honey is primarily a highly concentrated water solution of two simple sugars: fructose and glucose. Both of these are classified as monosaccharides (simple single-unit sugars).
The typical carbohydrate composition of honey is approximately:
• Fructose: 38.2%
• Glucose: 31.3%

Fructose and glucose are isomers, meaning they share the same chemical formula:
C6H12O6

Together, these two monosaccharides make up about 70% to 80% of honey's total mass, with water making up about 17%. In contrast, disaccharides (like sucrose and maltose) are present only in minor trace amounts (typically less than 5%), while polysaccharides (complex carbohydrates) and fats are virtually absent. Consequently, monosaccharides represent the chief constituent of honey.

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