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Not all honey are made equal. Honey is a natural substance from a mixture of flower nectars or the secretions of plant-sucking insects that are collected and digested by honey bees. There are 300 known types of honey, produced by over 20,000 honey bee species, that vary in flavor, color, and health effects. For this reason, honey type and composition vary with geography, and angiosperm and honey bee species distribution. In this chapter, we discuss the different types of honey and their associated health benefits. We also provide insights on the future of honey production in the context of functional food advocacy, climate change and honey bee species decline.

Global interests on functional foods and nutraceuticals have increased enormously in the last decade. This renewed attention stemmed largely from the promised benefits that functional foods and nutraceuticals have on the promotion of health and prevention of illness. People have increasingly become more health conscious which largely drives the growing economy of the health food market today. In this chapter, we review the definition and classification of functional foods. Evidence-based health benefits of a number of popular bioactive components of interest in functional foods and nutraceuticals are also presented. While not as exhaustive, these examples will provide a preview to functional food science and product development as a guide for researchers. The details of the health benefits of various functional foods will be discussed in the succeeding chapters of this book.