Honey Odyssey

Unifloral honey

Robinia honey (sold as 'acacia honey')

Robinia pseudoacacia

Robinia honey comes from Robinia pseudoacacia, a North American tree widely naturalised in Europe. It is often sold as 'acacia honey', a name the descriptive literature calls incorrect. It is very light in colour, mild in odour, and stays liquid for a long time because of its high fructose content.

Robinia honey (sold as 'acacia honey')
Photo: Ввласенко, CC BY-SA 3.0

What we know

Origin and plant

  • Robinia pseudoacacia is native to the northeastern United States and is widely naturalised and cultivated in Europe.

    Confirmed fact[1]

  • Within Europe, most Robinia honey comes from the eastern countries.

    Confirmed fact[1]

  • Outside Europe, Robinia honey is produced mostly in China.

    Confirmed fact[1]

How to recognise it

  • Robinia honey is often sold as 'acacia honey', a name the European descriptive sheets call incorrect.

    Confirmed fact[1]

  • EU honey law uses the common name 'false acacia' for Robinia pseudoacacia.

    Confirmed fact[2]

  • Robinia pollen is under-represented in its honey.

    Confirmed fact[1]

  • Its colour is very light, averaging 12.9 ± 5.6 mm on the Pfund scale.

    Confirmed fact[1]

  • In sensory analysis the odour is weak, described as floral, fresh fruit and warm.

    Observation[1]

  • Sensory panels rate its sweetness medium to strong and its acidity weak.

    Observation[1]

Composition

  • Compared with other European unifloral honeys, Robinia honey has low electrical conductivity, colour, acidity, enzyme activity, proline and glucose.

    Confirmed fact[1]

Crystallisation and storage

  • Robinia honey is usually liquid because of its high fructose content, and it is very light in colour and flavour.

    Confirmed fact[1]

Standards and rules

  • Codex allows false acacia (Robinia) honey up to 10 g/100 g sucrose, against 5 g/100 g for most honeys.

    Confirmed fact[3]

Honey Odyssey describes composition, origin and tradition. It does not give medical advice or health claims.

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Sources

  1. Persano Oddo L., Piro R. (2004) Main European unifloral honeys: descriptive sheets. Apidologie 35 (Suppl. 1): S38-S81. doi:10.1051/apido:2004049 Link
  2. Council Directive 2001/110/EC of 20 December 2001 relating to honey. Official Journal of the European Communities L 10, 12.1.2002, p. 47 Link
  3. Codex Alimentarius Commission. Revised Codex Standard for Honey, CODEX STAN 12-1981, Rev.1 (1987), Rev.2 (2001). FAO/WHO Link

Last checked: 20 October 2026. Every statement on this page was compared with the source it cites.