A controlled palatability study conducted by Summit Ridge Farms found that dogs showed a statistically significant preference for honey-sweetened biscuits over those made with cane sugar, while results against molasses and brown rice syrup were less definitive.
The study, commissioned by the National Honey Board, tested four sweetener formulations — honey, cane sugar, brown rice syrup and molasses — in a two-bowl, forced-choice protocol over two days.
Methodology
Twenty adult Beagles participated in the study at Summit Ridge Farms' USDA Animal Welfare Act-registered kennel facility.Each dog was offered 300 grams of standard diet (Purina Dog Chow) for 30 minutes approximately two hours before treat presentation.
Dogs were presented one biscuit of each formulation simultaneously in two bowls for a 30-minute window per session. Bowl placement was reversed daily to eliminate positional bias. If one treat was fully consumed before the 30-minute window ended, both bowls were removed.
Treat consumption by weight and first-choice selection were recorded for each dog across both days. Statistical analysis included Wilcoxon Signed Rank tests, two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Chi-square tests.
Honey vs. cane sugar: significant preference detected
The clearest finding in the study involved honey's performance against cane sugar. Dogs consumed 72 grams of the honey biscuit versus 29 grams of the cane sugar biscuit across both test days, a 2.48-to-1 consumption ratio representing 71.3% of total intake going to honey.
Statistical analysis confirmed the preference was not due to chance. First-choice behavior reinforced the trend: dogs reached for the honey biscuit first 27 times across both days, compared to 13 times for the cane sugar biscuit.
Applying a standard palatability benchmark, in which an animal must consume twice as much of one treat as the other to register a clear preference, 11 of 20 dogs preferred honey, two preferred cane sugar and seven showed no preference.
The gap widened on Day 2, with honey averaging 2.0 grams consumed per dog versus 0.5 grams for cane sugar, a difference the study flagged as statistically significant.
Honey vs. brown rice syrup: directional but not significant
In the comparison against brown rice syrup, honey again led in total consumption — 75 grams versus 39 grams — but the difference was not large enough to confirm a statistically significant preference.
First-choice selections were closer than in the cane sugar comparison, with honey chosen first 22 times across both days versus 17 for brown rice syrup, a spread the study considered consistent with random selection. By the same 2-to-1 consumption benchmark used in the cane sugar comparison, nine dogs preferred honey, six preferred brown rice syrup and five showed no preference.
The study characterized honey's performance as directionally better than brown rice syrup, but stopped short of drawing a definitive conclusion under the conditions tested.
Honey vs. molasses: effectively equivalent
The honey-versus-molasses comparison produced the most evenly matched results. Molasses edged honey in total consumption, 50 grams to 41 grams, but the difference was well within the range of chance. First-choice selections told the same story: each sweetener was chosen first exactly 19 times across both days, six dogs consistently preferred each treat and seven were undecided.
The study concluded that honey and molasses performed at parity in a biscuit format with neither holding a meaningful palatability advantage over the other.
Takeaway for formulators
The study noted its strongest takeaway for pet treat manufacturers is honey's demonstrated palatability advantage over cane sugar, a common and widely used biscuit sweetener. The 2.48-to-1 consumption ratio and statistically significant preference across multiple measures suggest that honey may serve as a meaningful palatability driver in biscuit formulations where cane sugar is currently used.
