Honey vinegar is a unique product transformed from honey through alcoholic and acetic fermentation, resulting in a condiment comparable to wine and apple vinegars but with distinct properties. This review goes beyond basic characteristics to illustrate honey vinegar’s potential as a functional food, a key to market diversification, and a means to enhance the entire beekeeping supply chain.
As one of several traditional products derived from honey (alongside mead, honey beer, etc.), honey vinegar represents a valuable opportunity for producers. It allows them to expand into innovative niche markets that emphasize natural ingredients, traditional craftsmanship, and, crucially, potential health benefits associated with its consumption. (1)
This analysis explores its unique production (including detailed microbial characteristics), its health potential, and its growing relevance in European policy and market strategy.
Production process
The preparation of honey vinegar requires an initial alcoholic fermentation, which can be carried out using the classic Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast. To facilitate fermentation, strains or starters that are best suited to honey must, obtained from a mixture of water and honey (thus obtaining a sort of mead), can be used. Acetic fermentation, on the other hand, must be carried out with the inoculation of acetic bacteria (e.g. Acetobacter, Gluconoacetobacter, Gluconobacter), which can be isolated from vinegars before pasteurisation.
The fermentation process must be carried out in such a way as to obtain the desired characteristics in terms of must attenuation (i.e. production of ethyl alcohol and reduction of sugars), so as to have the right amount of ethanol that must be metabolised by acetic bacteria to produce acetic acid, and obtain the required acidity value for honey vinegar. Based on the starting honey (or honeys), all the aromatic and flavour components of the product are also developed.
Effects of fermentation
Honey vinegar is generally produced using a rapid process (in submerged culture) where the oxygenation necessary for acetic fermentation is ensured by agitation in closed containers. In the slow (static) process, acetic acid bacteria (AAB) grow on the surface of the liquid of the product undergoing acetification, in direct contact with the ambient oxygen. Following acetic fermentation, the resulting honey vinegar contains approximately 9% acetic acid (w/v) and a maximum of 1% alcohol (v/v), while acetic fermentation is 91-97%. (2)
The microflora of honey vinegar mainly contains Acetobacter spp. and Gluconacetobacter spp., and yeasts S. cerevisiae, Torulopsis spp. and Zygosaccharomyces spp., but some types of moulds and lactic acid bacteria (LAB), such as Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Leuconostoc and Pediococcus spp. play key roles in the production of various special vinegars. The vinegar obtained has antimicrobial effects against various microorganisms due to its high acidity, phenolic substances, organic acids and microbial metabolites, vitamins and minerals in its finished composition. All the attributes of honey vinegar (appearance, colour, smell and taste) are generally highly appreciated by consumers, as is the raw material from which it is made.
The unique aroma and flavour of honey vinegars (e.g. fruity, floral, buttery) are mainly attributed to the acetic acid fermentation process. However, in addition to acetic acid, other fermentation products present in vinegars, such as esters, aldehydes, ketones and organic acids, also act as descriptors of vinegar odour. These compounds are produced during the fermentation and ageing process, in which acetic acid acts as a precursor in the development of these products. The final quality and volatile compounds can be influenced by both the raw material and the process used.
Microbial characterisation of traditional honey vinegars
In Zambia (South Africa), there is a long tradition of beekeeping in the miombo forests, which are characterised by great biodiversity. Forest Fruits Ltd. produces certified organic honey in these areas, using local beekeepers, for transport to the capital Lusaka and subsequent export worldwide. From these honeys, an organic honey vinegar has been developed using microorganisms isolated from the honey itself. (3)
The main yeasts and fungi found in the product are Monascus purpureus, frequently found on rice and used in China to produce fermented products such as rice vinegar, in which secondary metabolites such as monacolins may be present, contributing to the reduction of blood pressure, diabetes and dyslipidaemia. Vanrija humicola, on the other hand, produces cellobiose lipids that can inhibit the growth of pathogenic yeasts Cryptococcus and Candida. Other fungi representing the human microbiota belonged to the genera Aspergillus, Alternaria and Cladosporium, whose effects can be beneficial or harmful depending on the species.
Among the acetic bacteria, the Komagataeibacter genus was found to be the most prevalent, following the presumed death of Acetobacter, which is generally the most abundant genus. Komagataeibacter is one of the dominant bacteria isolated from the scoby used to prepare kombucha. Furthermore, this is an indicator of the apibiome, which would seem to demonstrate the healthy state of the bees. Other bacteria such as bacilli, staphylococci and enterococci were found in very low values, whose presence is hypothesised by the bees’ ability to host them.
Potential health properties
Consuming small amounts of vinegar (one teaspoon) per day is a well-known traditional remedy in many parts of the world. In recent years, ‘live’ vinegar (a term used to describe a d vinegar in which a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY) and sediment are still present) has become more popular due to the alleged health benefits of its consumption, attributed to the beneficial microorganisms it contains. Among the various health benefits attributed to natural vinegars, research suggests that their regular consumption may help reduce the risk of diabetes, oxidative stress, certain types of cancer, and hypercholesterolaemia, while also contributing to the strengthening of the immune system.
A honey vinegar syrup (a mixture of honey and honey vinegar) was tested in a 4-week parallel, randomised, controlled study involving two groups of healthy, non-obese volunteers to assess its impact on glycaemic parameters and lipid profiles in healthy subjects. Among the positive effects, there was a reduction in cholesterol levels in the treated group, but at the same time there was an increase in fasting insulin levels and a decrease in HDL cholesterol. Therefore, further studies are required to confirm the results obtained. (4)
Vinegar can also be produced from a combination of honey and fruit ingredients, such as blueberries, to obtain innovative and functional products. Thanks to the high content of total phenolic compounds and anthocyanins in the fruits, there is a high antioxidant potential and antimicrobial potential against Bacillus subtilis and Salmonella enterica, along with the general potential benefits of vinegar such as lowering blood pressure, diabetes, preventing cardiovascular disease and increasing vigour after exercise. (5)
Provisional conclusions
Honey vinegar is a product with significant potential to enhance value within the beekeeping supply chain, alongside other innovative bee-derived products such as bee bread, which are increasingly recognised for their nutritional richness and potential health benefits.
Following the European Parliament’s decision to include all types of vinegar, including honey vinegar, in the Common Market Organisation (CMO) reform, (6) the production and inclusion of this product within a company’s range is a potential opportunity for growth and for contributing to its own production at EU level.
Dario Dongo and Andrea Adelmo Della Penna
References
(1) Ilha E.C. et al. (2000) Utilisation of bee (Apis mellifera) honey for vinegar production. Boletim Do Centro De Pesquisa De Processamento De Alimentos 18(1):39-50, https://doi.org/10.5380/cep.v18i1.1123
(2) Mărgăoan R. et al. (2020) Impact of Fermentation Processes on the Bioactive Profile and Health-Promoting Properties of Bee Bread, Mead and Honey Vinegar. Processes 8(9):1081, https://doi.org/10.3390/pr8091081
(3) Cambray G.A. & Kalinski J.-C. J. (2025) Microbial Characterisation of a Zambian Honey Vinegar. Food Science & Nutrition 13(1):e4549, https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.4549
(4) Derakhshandeh-Rishehri S.-M. et al. (2014) Effect of Honey Vinegar Syrup on Blood Sugar and Lipid Profile in Healthy Subjects. Int. J. Prev. Med. 5(12):1608-1615
(5) da Silva Fonseca M. et al. (2018) Blueberry and honey vinegar: successive batch production, antioxidant potential and antimicrobial ability. Braz. J. Food Technol. 21:e2017101, https://doi.org/10.1590/1981-6723.10117
(6) Dario Dongo (2025, 13 October). EU: news on meat sounding, short supply chains, hemp and vinegar. FT (Food Times). https://www.foodtimes.eu/food-system/eu-news-on-meat-sounding-short-supply-chains-hemp-and-vinegar/
