Dark oak honey under the microscope of scientists.
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Honey is, in the truest sense of the word, a natural wonder. It's one of the most valuable, nutrient-dense, and healthy foods available, and the reasons for this are countless.

But today we're focusing on one of honey's special properties: its antioxidant properties.
Chrysoula Tanakaki, assistant professor and head of the Laboratory of Beekeeping and Sericulture at the Department of Agriculture of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, presented the results of extensive research conducted by the department.

Oak honey has a strong antioxidant effect. In other words, it combats free radicals, which are responsible for the degeneration of cells that cause cancerous tumors.
However, the antioxidant activity of different honeys is not the same. In fact, Manuka honey has earned a reputation as the best honey in the world, but this is apparently not the case.
Oak Honey Compared to the Rest
In the study conducted at AUTH, 48 honey samples from all over Greece and from all types of flowers were selected and examined. Honey from oak, pine, fir, heather, chestnut, thyme, orange, and the famous exotic manuka honey were included in the research.

Each honey had its own unique properties, but the discovery was unique.
It was found that the honey with the highest antioxidant activity was dark oak honey. This was followed by fir honey, heather honey, chestnut honey, pine honey, thyme honey, and orange honey.
Thyme honey and orange honey may therefore have an amazing aroma and are therefore preferred by many, but they don't have as much antioxidant activity as the honeys mentioned above. Of course, that doesn't mean they aren't valuable!

Oak honey is more valuable than Manuka honey.

Also impressive was the finding that oak honey is a more powerful antioxidant than Manuka honey, which has flooded the global market in recent years due to its biological properties. In fact, Manuka honey has a lower antioxidant activity than most Greek honeys.
We therefore understand both the great nutritional value of Greek honey and the need to take the necessary measures to ensure that Greek honey takes the place it deserves on the world market.