> This article stated that due to the properties of honey it was recommended
> that an additive be added to the concrete mix to insure its integrity.

> Does anyone recall or have any information about the additive of which
> this article speaks?

While I do not recall the ABJ article, I have ordered lots of concrete,
designed many concrete floors, walls, and pilings, and watched many
concrete pours, fingers crossed in hope that the forms would not shift.

The "better mix" is called "High-Early" here in the Southeastern USA.
It is used in state and federal highway projects for the poured concrete
pilings for bridges and overpasses.  It is very expensive as compared
to normal ready-mix concrete, but it does NOT result in an etch-proof
floor.

The differences between "High-Early" and run-of-the-mill concrete are:

a)  No chloride is used in the mix, which is often used to speed curing,
     but can result in a more "powdery" surface, more prone to etching.

b)  More cement is used in the mix.  It is a "thicker" mix.  Much thicker.

c)  In addition to (b), or depending upon the specs, perhaps instead
     of (b), a (non-chloride) accelerant is used to speed curing.

d)  Since one is ordering a "special" mix, one can also ask for the
     polymer/fiber-fill additives that act as reinforcement, and eliminate
     the need for rebar.  Not all ready-mix houses do this, but it can
     be a serious cost savings in labor and materials.  It also leads
     to a much longer-life slab or wall, since there is no rebar to rust
     and force the concrete to crack.  (Look at an old concrete wall
     someday, and you'll see that the failures show up where the
     rebar is near the surface.)  Most building codes approve of the
     polymer, but many building inspectors have never seen it, so
     expect to get the inspector to call the ready-mix house to get
     a quick lesson in modern high-tech concrete.

This "high-early" mix sets up very quickly, but still allows adequate
working time.  Just this winter, I was asked to design a new flooring
system for a dairy milking parlor, with the usual complex web of
drainage troughs, drain pipes, sloped floors, et al.

The pour was in the dead of winter, and the temperature was barely
above freezing.  The high-early mix, poured to an 8-inch depth, at
7am, cured in time to allow milking to be done that night at 10pm.
Needless to say, it was high exothermic, and kept the barn warm
all day long.  :)

Now, there are entire textbooks about concrete (I have a copy of the
300+ page tome "Fundemental Foundations"), and civil engineers can
take courses that focus on the details of concrete.  One can specify
just about anything, and any decent ready-mix house will know how to
make it.  The best approach may be to supply the ready-mix house
with a few quarts of honey for testing (and tasting), and explain the
problem of "etching", asking them what they might suggest.

But, your best defense against etching from honey is to use NORMAL
concrete, and spend the extra money making sure that it is well-poured
and protected concrete, rather than trying to spec/buy a "super concrete"
that really does not exist.

a) Pour it thick (think 6 or 8 inches rather than 4).

b) Use well-engineered forms (think metal rental forms!).  If wood, use
    2x8s and 4x4s rather than 2x6s and 2x4s.  Wood is cheaper than
    removing and re-doing a failed pour.  (If a contractor is to do the forms,
    discuss the scenario of a failed pour, and insure that the contract
    clearly states that costs of repairing and re-doing a failed pour are
    his, not yours.)

c) Pay a pro to put in the correct slope toward your drains.  Floating
    concrete is an art, and you want an artist.  (You did remember to
    design in drains, didn't you?)

d) Seal the concrete with 3 or 4 coats, letting each coat dry
    fully before adding the next.  Add some tint to the sealer
    at the paint store so you can see that you have covered
    the entire surface.  Use different tints for each gallon or
    quart so you can verify complete coverage on every coat,
    using alternate cans of sealer for alternate coats.

e) Use heavy-duty industrial grade paint.  Put on two coats.
    Plan on repainting when any wear shows up.  The newer
    elastometer coatings are wonderful on concrete floors in
    "industrial" settings.  Sometimes "roof paint" used on tin
    or tile roofs is also a good choice, and a cheaper way to
    get the elastometer paint.

f) Another good idea is to use the rubber "fatigue mats" as used in
   industrial settings.  They are easy on your feet, and they can be
   taken outside and hosed off if honey is spilled on them.  If the honey
   never touches the concrete, you never have a problem.

It also helps to plan (and design) for scenarios where honey might "spill",
since this is waste of honey.  The most common error I have heard repeated
over and over is having a system of pumps and sumps that does not include
a simple overflow cut-off switch.  These things come in many flavors, but the
simplest is nothing more than a toilet-bowl type float attached to a microswitch
that controls a relay that kills your pump(s) when a critical tank gets "too full".

The bottom line is that I know of no such thing as "honey-resistant concrete"
or "acid-resistant concrete".  There are "high-density mixes", but the basic
chemistry of concrete breakdown at the surface ("etching") does not change.

My honey house has a concrete floor that was poured decades ago, long
before modern high-tech concrete.  So far, no problem.  My secret is paint,
and not spilling large amounts of honey.

        jim