## 1 Introduction  
According to the EU Directive [1], honey is a naturally sweet product produced by bees (_Apis mellifera_) from the nectar of plants, from secretions of living parts of plants, or excretions of plant-sucking insects on the living parts of plants, collected by bees, processed by combining specific substances from bees, stored, dehydrated, collected, and left in honeycombs to ripen. Based on its origin, a distinction is made between floral (nectar) honey and honeydew honey. Floral honey is referred to by the name of the single plant which it comes from (e.g., heather honey, lime honey, buckwheat honey), while multi-flower honey comes from several plants. Honeydew honey is produced by bees from the excretions of insects, mainly aphids. It can be made from leafy or coniferous honeydew. Honey is considered to be one of the most energy-dense foods in nature [2]. Both wild and domestic, it contains approximately 80-95 percent sugar and is a concentrated source of fructose and glucose [3; 4]. The sweet taste of honey determines its sensory attractiveness, which was probably the main reason for its consumption by primitive peoples. The nutritional and therapeutic properties of the product were discovered and widely exploited in ancient times [5]. Nowadays, extensive studies are conducted to discover and prove the effects of the components contained in honey on human organism. The existence in honey has been proved of many bioactive compounds, including vitamins (A, E, K, B\({}_{1}\), B\({}_{2}\), B\({}_{3}\), B\({}_{6}\), C), phenols, flavonoids, and fatty acids, as well as organic acids (hydroxybene-zoes, octadecanoic, abscisic, cinnamic, feluronic), ethyl ester, apigenin, pinocombrin, and acacetin [6; 7]. In addition, honey contains amino acids of physiological importance such as arginine, cysteine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, and proline [8]. The content of the individual compounds depends on the type of honey [9], weather, and the natural-geographical conditions determining the growth of honey-producing and mellifera plants [10; 11]. Buckwheat honey, for example, is characterised by a higher content of phenolic compounds, sugars, and minerals than other types of honey from different varieties [12]. Heather honey is characterised by high antimicrobial activity compared to other types of honey due to its high osmolarity, low acidity, as well as the content of polyphenonic compounds and hydrogen peroxide [13]. Acacia honey has a low glycemic index compared to other types of honey [14]. Honeydew types of honey have a higher antioxidant potential than nectar honey types and, in addition, due to their osmotic properties, they counteract inflammatory reactions [15]. These types of honey also display antibacterial activity against several pathogenic bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant strains [16]. The composition of honey determines its nutritional value and health-promoting effects [17; 18; 19]. The antioxidant effect of honey, which is a consequence of polyphenol, flavonoid, and phenolic acid content, is made use of in prophylaxis and therapy in cardiovascular and cancerous diseases, as well as diabetes, by protecting cell-defence systems against damage caused by free radicals and other oxidising factors [7; 20]. The antibacterial, antiviral, and fungicidal properties of honey are taken advantage of in the treatment of dermatological conditions and wounds [17; 18; 21; 22] as well as the oral cavity [23]. The availability of bioactive components of honey and its antiseptic and immuno-boosting properties are used in the treatment of upper respiratory tract disorders, especially chronic cough in children and adults [24; 25]. Beneficial immunomodulatory, anti-cancerous, anti-hypertensive, anti-allergic, and prebiotic effects of certain types of honey have also been proven effective on patients with endocrine dysfunction [5; 14], and in fertility treatment [26].