CHEMISTRY

INVESTIGATORY
PROJECT
ANALYSIS OF HONEY

NAME: ADITYA PANDEY

CLASS: 12

ROLL NO:

ACADEMIC YEAR: 2019-20

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 CERTIFICATE

THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT ADITYA PANDEY OF

CLASS XII, ROLL NO. ____________ HAS
COMPLETED THE CHEMISTRY INVESTIGATORY
PROJECT ENTITLED “ANALYSIS OF HONEY”
HIMSELF AND UNDER MY GUIDANCE.
PROGRESS OF THE PROJECT HAS BEEN
CONTINUOUSLY REPORTED AND HAS BEEN IN
MY KNOWLEDGE.

EXTERNAL TEACHER
EXAMINER INCHARGE

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Primarily I would like to thank my chemistry

teacher Mrs. Ambli mam whose valuable guidance
has been the one that helped me to complete this
project and make it a success.
I would also like to thank the institution of
army public school, Bangalore for allowing me to
carry out the experiment in their laboratory. I am
also very grateful to the management team for
their immense support.
At last I would like to thank my parents and
friends who were always there to support me and
to guide me and to guide me to the right path of
success.

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 INDEX

Sr.
TOPIC PAGE No.
No.
1 AIM 5
2 INTRODUCTION 6
3 SCOPE OF THE PROJECT 7
4 THEORY 8
5 MATERIALS REQUIRED 9

6 PROCEDURE 10-13

7 OBSERVATION 14-17
8 RESULT 18-20
9 RESULT ANALYSIS 21
10 CONCLUSION 22

11 PRECAUTIONS 23

12 BIBLIOGRAPHY 24
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 AIM

To analyze the physical and chemical

properties of different samples of honey
available in market using some physical and
chemical tests.

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 INTRODUCTION

Honey, thick, sweet, super saturated sugar solution

manufactured by bees to feed their larvae and for the
subsistence during winter.

Bee honey is composed of fructose, glucose and water, in

varying proportions. It also contains several enzymes and oils.
The color & flavor depends on the age of the honey and the
sources of the nectar .Light colored honeys are usually of higher
quality than dark coloured honeys. Other high grade honeys are
made by bees from orange blossoms, clover and Alfalfa. A well-
known, poorer grade honey is produced from buckwheat.

Honey has a fuel value of about 3307 cal/kg [1520 cal/ lbs].
It readily picks up moisture from the air and is consequently
used as a moistening agent for Tobacco and in baking. Glucose
crystallizes out of honey on standing at room temperature,
leaving on uncrystallized layer of dissolved fructose. Honey to
be marketed is usually heated by a special process to about
66oC [150.01 F] to dissolve the crystals and is sealed to
prevent crystallization. The fructose in crystallized honey
ferments readily at about 1600C.

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 SCOPE OF THE
PROJECT

Honey being a sweet and healthy liquid is a major

constituent of food substances these days. Purity and
constituents of honey were a source of concern for me.
Therefore I chose this project to analyze different
honey samples available in market.

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 THEORY

Honey is basically acidic in nature. The pH and

acidity level changes depending upon the botanical
origin mainly geographic origin of honeys the level of
pH stands in between 2-6.Honey contains minerals
and acids serving as electrolytes, which can conduct
the electrical current.

Moisture content of honey depends upon

harvest season, along with the degree of maturity
reached in the live. Honey has water content
between 15-18%. Color in liquid honey varies from
clear and colorless (like water) to dark amber or
black. The color of honey is amber or gold.

The natural product honey has been reported to

contain about 200 substances, which also consist of
highly concentrated solution of sugars.

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MATERIALS REQUIRED

APPARATUS
1. Test tube
2. Test tube stand
3. Bunsen burner
4. W ater bath
5. Tripod stand
6. Test tube stand
7. Square mesh

CHEMICALS
1. Fehling solution A
2. Fehling solution B
3. Ammonium chloride solution
4. Ammonium oxalate solution
5. Ammonium phosphate
6. Tollen’s reagent
7. Ammonium hydroxide solution
8. Picric acid
9. Ninhydrin solution
10. Benedict’s reagent

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 PROCEDURE

 Take the 3 available samples of Honey in three.

Different Test tube and perform the test for
Minerals and carbohydrates for each available
sample of honey.
SAMPLE A : PATANJALI HONEY
SAMPLE B : DABUR HONEY
SAMPLE C : LOCAL HONEY

TEST FOR MINERALS

 TEST FOR POTASSIUM:-

2ml of honey is taken in a test tube and picric acid

solution is added.
Yellow precipitate indicates the presence of K+.
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  TEST FOR CALCIUM:-
2ml of honey is taken in a test tube and NH4Cl solution and
NH4OH solution are added to it. The solution is filtered and to
the filtrate 2ml of ammonium oxalate solution is added.
White ppt. or milkiness indicates the presence of Ca2+ ions.

 TEST FOR MAGNESIUM:-

2 ml of honey is taken in a test tube and NH4Cl solution is

added to it and then excess of Ammonium phosphate solution
is added. The side of the test- tube is scratched with a glass
rod.
White precipitate indicates the presence of Mg2+ ions.

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 TEST FOR
CARBOHYDRATES
 FEHLING`S TEST:
2ml of honey is taken in a test tube and 1ml each of
Fehling`s solution A and Fehling`s solution B are added to it
and boiled. Red precipitate indicates the presence of reducing
sugars.

RCHO + 2Cu2+ + 5OH- → Cu2O (s) + RCOO- + 3H2O

 TOLLEN`S TEST:
2-3 ml of aqueous solution of honey is taken in a test
tube. 2-3ml of Tollen`s reagent is added. The test tube is
kept in a boiling water bath for about ten minutes. A shining
silver mirror indicates the presence of reducing
carbohydrates.

2[Ag(NH3)2]+ + RCHO + 3OH−⟶2Ag + RCO2− + 4NH3 + 2H2O

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  BENEDICT’S TEST:
1-2 mL of honey sample is taken in test tube. Then 1-2mL of
Benedict’s reagent is added to it and boiled. Red precipitate
indicates the presence of reducing sugar.

 NINHYDRIN TEST:
To the sample of honey add about 3-4 drops of ninhydrin
solution. Boil the contents. Dark blue colouration confirms the
presence of proteins.

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 OBSERVATION

 PHYSICAL FEATURES

SL. PHYSICAL PATANJA-

DABUR LOCAL
NO. FEATURE LI

YELLOWISH PALE PALE

1 COLOUR
BROWN YELLOW YELLOW

2 ODOUR CHARACTERISTIC CHARACTERISTIC CHARACTERISTIC

SOLUBILITY
3 SOLUBLE SOLUBLE INSOLUBLE
IN WATER

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  CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
SL.
TEST RESULT
NO.
PATANJALI DABUR LOCAL
HONEY HONEY HONEY
1 BENEDICT’S TEST POSITIVE POSITIVE POSITIVE
2 FEHLING’S TEST POSITIVE POSITIVE POSITIVE
3 NINHYDRIN TEST NEGATIVE NEGATIVE NEGATIVE
TEST FOR
4 POSITIVE POSITIVE POSITIVE
POTASSIUM
TEST FOR
5 NEGATIVE NEGATIVE NEGATIVE
MAGNESIUM
TEST FOR
6 NEGATIVE NEGATIVE NEGATIVE
CALCIUM
7 TOLLEN’S TEST POSITIVE POSITIVE POSITIVE

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TESTS FOR PATANJALI HONEY

TESTS FOR DABUR HONEY

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TESTS FOR LOCAL HONEY

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 RESULT
PATANJALI HONEY
The sample of Patanjali honey was yellowish brown in
colour and was completely soluble in water. It answered
Benedict’s test, Tollen’s test and Fehling’s test showing
the presence of reducing sugars. It even didn’t answer
ninhydrin test showing absence of proteins. The sample
showed presence of potassium absence of calcium and
magnesium.

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DABUR HONEY
The sample of Dabur honey was pale yellow in color
and was completely soluble in water. It answered
Benedict’s test, Tollen’s test and Fehling’s test showing
the presence of reducing sugars.it even didn’t answer
ninhydrin test showing absence of proteins. The sample
showed presence of potassium absence of calcium and
magnesium.

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LOCAL HONEY
The sample of local honey was pale yellow in color
and was not soluble in water. It answered Benedict’s test,
Tollen’s test and Fehling’s test showing the presence of
reducing sugars. It even didn’t answer ninhydrin test
showing absence of proteins. The sample showed
presence of potassium and absence of calcium and
magnesium.

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 RESULT ANALYSIS
Honey contains potassium which is good for health.
Potassium-rich diet is linked to many powerful health
benefits. It may help reduce blood pressure and water
retention, protect against stroke and help prevent
osteoporosis and kidney stones. It also helps in better
signal conduction in nervous system.

Reducing sugars are also present in honey. Sugars

are a source of energy for the body. During intense
physical activity, they are the main energy source. Simple
sugars travel through the blood stream to body cells.
There they provide energy and help form proteins, or are
stored for future use. The brain and red blood cells can
only use glucose for energy.
Honey lacks certain minerals like calcium and
magnesium which are important for body. These minerals
are responsible for the enzymatic activities of human
body, blood pressure regulation and are important for
strong bones and teeth.
Honey also lacks proteins which are important for
muscle growth and are essential for growing age children.

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 CONCLUSION

All the samples of honey showed:-

1. Presence of potassium
2. Absence of calcium and magnesium
3. Absence of protein
4. Presence of reducing sugars

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 PRECAUTIONS

 Picric acid must be handled carefully and should be kept

away from eyes and skin. Direct contact with skin may
cause irritation.

 While testing for reducing sugar, contents in the test

tubes must be boiled using a water bath only.

 Excess of NH4Cl must be added to the solution while

testing for calcium and magnesium.

 Bunsen burner flame must be handled carefully.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

 www.projects.icbse.com\chemistry
 www.projectsyapa.com\chemistry
 Comprehensive Practical Chemistry
 Google Images
 www.seminaronly.com
 www.healthline.com
 www.foodinsight.org
 www.medlineplus.gov

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