Sugars & Sweeteners
Honey in gelato
Honey is a natural invert-sugar syrup produced by bees, roughly 82% sugars (fructose slightly exceeding glucose) and 18% water. In gelato it acts as a high-anti-freeze, high-sweetness sugar that also contributes a distinctive floral flavor.
Balancing parameters
Per 100 g of product, verified against independent food-science sources (listed below).
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Solids | 82% |
| Water | 18% |
| Sugars | 81% |
| Fat | 0% |
| MSNF | 0% |
| Protein | 0.3% |
| POD (sweetening power) | 105 |
| PAC (anti-freezing power) | 156 |
Typical use: Typically 2-8% of the total mix as a partial sugar replacement; rarely above 8-10% because its strong flavor and high PAC dominate before then.
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Open the balancerHow to use it in gelato
Because honey is essentially invert sugar carrying its own water, it delivers high sweetening power (POD ~105) and very high anti-freeze power (PAC ~156), close to double that of sucrose. Use it to partially replace sucrose when you want a softer, more scoopable texture at freezer temperature, but reduce total sugar accordingly to avoid an over-soft, unstable mix. Its ~18% moisture must be counted as added water in the balance. Its assertive floral aroma also makes it a flavor ingredient, so dosage is usually limited more by taste than by structure. It pairs naturally with nut, ricotta, and spiced gelati.
Origin & background
Honey is humanity's oldest sweetener: bees concentrate floral nectar into a supersaturated fructose-glucose syrup with under ~18% moisture, which is why it resists spoilage almost indefinitely. Its composition is well characterized by USDA FoodData Central, which reports about 82 g of sugars and 17.1 g of water per 100 g, with fructose (40.9 g) exceeding glucose (35.7 g).
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central, Honey, FDC ID 169640 (SR Legacy): water 17.10 g, total sugars 82.12 g, fructose 40.94 g, glucose 35.75 g, maltose 1.44 g, sucrose 0.89 g, protein 0.30 g, total fat 0 g per 100 g — https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/169640/nutrients
- Foodstruct, Honey nutrition (USDA-derived mirror), confirming water ~17 g and sugar profile fructose>glucose per 100 g — https://foodstruct.com/food/honey
- Gerogelato, 'The behavior of sugar in artisanal ice cream' — manufacturer gelato table listing honey POD 105 and PAC 156 (sucrose=100 reference) — https://www.gerogelato.com/english/blog-eng/the-behavior-of-sugar-in-artisanal-ice-cream