Widget 31 · Raw Honey Guide

Honey Antioxidant Dose Calculator

ORAC antioxidant units per serving — compare 16 honey varieties to each other, to white sugar, and to other antioxidant foods.

Select Honey & Serving Size

Highest ORAC of any common honey; chlorogenic acid dominant; powerful sweetener sub

ORAC per 100 g796
Acacia (55)← Spectrum →Buckwheat (796)

ORAC per serving

167 μmol TE

Very High ORAC

Serving

21 g

Calories

64 kcal

vs white sugar

+167 ORAC

ORAC per serving = (796 μmol TE/100 g × 21 g) ÷ 100 = 167 μmol TE. White sugar has ORAC = 0 at any serving size. Keep honey below 60 °C to preserve phenolic compounds (pasteurisation at 63 °C reduces ORAC 10–30%).

The Manuka Paradox

Manuka honey ORAC ≈ 215 μmol TE/100 g — below heather, chestnut, blueberry, and even wildflower honey. Its premium price is driven by MGO (methylglyoxal) antibacterial activity, derived from the dihydroxyacetone-to-MGO conversion in Leptospermum nectar. That pathway is orthogonal to phenolic antioxidant chemistry. If your goal is antioxidant content: buckwheat or chestnut. If your goal is antibacterial activity: Manuka UMF 10+. These are different questions.

Antioxidant Context: Honey vs. Other Foods

ORAC per typical serving. Honey values shown for 1 tbsp (21 g). Honey is not a standalone antioxidant food — its value is as a sweetener replacement vs. sugar (ORAC = 0).

Blueberries, fresh
½ cup (74 g)3,282 μmol
Dark chocolate
1 oz (28 g)1,860 μmol
Green tea
1 cup (240 mL)1,128 μmol
Pomegranate juice
4 oz (118 mL)1,029 μmol
Buckwheat honey ←
1 tbsp (21 g)167 μmol
Chestnut honey
1 tbsp (21 g)130 μmol
Heather honey
1 tbsp (21 g)103 μmol
Manuka honey
1 tbsp (21 g)45 μmol
Clover honey
1 tbsp (21 g)17 μmol
Acacia honey
1 tbsp (21 g)12 μmol
White sugar
1 tbsp (12 g)0 μmol

Sources: Gheldof & Engeseth (2002) J Agric Food Chem; Crozier et al. (2011) J Agric Food Chem; Henning et al. (2003) J Nutr; USDA ORAC database (2010). ORAC deprecated from USDA consumer database 2012 — use for relative ranking only.

ORAC Values — 16 Honey Varieties Ranked

Ranked highest to lowest. Per-tablespoon column assumes a 21 g serving (standard honey tablespoon, density ≈ 1.42 g/mL). Sources: Gheldof & Engeseth (2002); Bertoncelj et al. (2007).

VarietyORAC/100 gper tbspColor
Buckwheat(selected)796167Dark Amber
Chestnut620130Dark Amber
Heather (Ling)490103Amber
Blueberry31566Light Amber
Wildflower29061Amber
Avocado24551Dark Amber
Manuka21545Light Amber
Orange Blossom15533Water White
Linden14530Water White
Eucalyptus13027Light Amber
Lavender10522Water White
Sage10522Water White
Sourwood9019Light Amber
Clover8017Water White
Tupelo6313Water White
Acacia5512Water White
Very High ≥ 400High 200–399Moderate 100–199Lower < 100

Why Antioxidants Vary So Much Between Honey Varieties

Honey's antioxidant content is driven by two distinct compound classes with different origins:

  • Phenolic acids (chlorogenic, ferulic, p-coumaric) — from nectar and largely intact after processing. Buckwheat is the benchmark: ~285 mg/kg phenolic-acid total, of which chlorogenic acid contributes ~100–200 mg/kg.
  • Flavonoids (quercetin, kaempferol, pinocembrin, chrysin, galangin) — primarily from pollen and propolis, not nectar. Ultra-filtration — which strips pollen — significantly reduces flavonoid content without changing the phenolic-acid fraction. "Raw" matters for flavonoids specifically.

The strong colour–antioxidant correlation (r = 0.82, Gheldof & Engeseth 2002) is well-documented: darker honey reliably signals higher phenolic content. If you're choosing honey for antioxidant value, colour is the quickest honest proxy — darker is better, with the caveat that ultra-filtered dark honey loses its flavonoid fraction.

The practical recommendation: as a sweetener swap, buckwheat or chestnut honey delivers 10–15× more antioxidants per tablespoon than clover, for only a modest flavour trade-off. No honey rivals berry fruit or dark chocolate as an antioxidant source by serving size.

Frequently Asked Questions

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