2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14
Honey is falsified more often than other products. Consumers are tired of identifying the degree of naturalness by resorting to simple tests at home. The following picture is often observed: within 2-3 months, fresh liquid honey bought in a store was candied. Why does this happen and how does crystallization affect its quality? Beekeepers call this process "cage" and consider it quite natural. However, not all varieties “sit down” over time, and this leads buyers to anxious thoughts.
Should real honey be candied?
With prolonged storage, bee honey crystallizes, this happens over time even in sealed combs in the hive.
What is the reason that, under the same storage conditions, one variety remains liquid for years, and the other honey is candied? Why does the nature of crystallization of its different types differ? This is due to the ratio of the main components: glucose, water and fructose in each particular variety.
Fructose dissolves well in water and does not form crystals. This means that high fructose honey(sage, heather, chestnut) may not crystallize for a long time. Acacia product is able to remain liquid for more than two years.
Glucose has the least solubility. The more it is in honey, the faster it "sets".
The ratio of glucose and fructose is not a constant value. It depends on weather conditions, species of honey plants, the breed of bees and the degree of maturity of the product of their vital activity. If, under the influence of certain natural factors, the release of fructose by plants increases, then honey collected this year may not crystallize, remaining liquid for a very long time.
Other sugars contained in this treat also affect crystallization processes.
Melecytosis is an anti-crystallizer of glucose. A low content of the mentioned substance (2-3%) can be observed in varieties collected from rape, colza, sunflower. They sit faster, so it is quite normal that after 2 months such honey candied.
Why doesn't honeydew honey crystallize? In them, as well as in chestnut, lime and white acacia varieties, the percentage of melecytosis is higher (6-9%). This substance itself, at a high content, may precipitate in the form of flaky crystals.
The quality of the product, maturity and its botanical origin can be judged by the nature of the crystallization and how quickly the honey candied.
Why doesn't filtered honey harden?
Pollen grains present in a natural product are centers around whichthe crystallization process begins. If you pass honey through filters that remove pollen, mucus and protein substances, it does not harden for a long time and has an attractive presentation. Major suppliers to European countries are China and India. The origin of honey can only be traced by pollen, and in some countries it is even forbidden to call the ultra-filtered sweet product the word "honey".
How does real honey behave?
Candied or not the substance that bees produce from syrup? They
create a product similar in chemical properties to natural flower honey. The processes in it take place in exactly the same way, so it all depends on the conscientiousness of the beekeeper. Knowing the subtleties of product development, you can influence its consistency. Sugaring is easy to speed up by adding old honey to new honey. By adding 1 g of shrunken honey to 1 kg of liquid and mixing thoroughly, you can get a cage within 1-2 days.
Cold candied faster. It begins at the boundary of liquid and air; liquids and solids. Some varieties harden from top to bottom, in others the nucleated crystals fall to the bottom, and the process goes from bottom to top.
The process of sugaring does not affect the quality of the product and does not reduce its nutritional value. During the Soviet Union, it was even forbidden to sell liquid honey on collective farm markets after October 1, considering it fake and unfit for consumption.
Recommended:
Does honey spoil due to long storage? What is the best temperature to store honey?
Since ancient times, honey has been considered one of the most useful natural products. There are many myths and legends about the healing properties of the bee product. He is credited with many qualities that he does not actually possess. However, the question often arises whether honey deteriorates during long-term storage. To understand this, you should learn a little about the composition of a useful product
Why does honey foam when stored in a jar?
When buying honey, buyers usually count on its long-term storage. And when the product begins to foam, bubbles form on its surface, this cannot but confuse any consumer. There may be several reasons for this phenomenon. This article provides information on why honey foams and in what cases it can be unsafe for he alth
Is liquid honey better than thick honey? Why honey remains liquid and does not thicken
What consistency and what color should a natural product be, why is honey liquid or too thick, and how to distinguish a real product from a fake? It is not so easy for a beginner, and for people who are not professionally engaged in beekeeping, to understand these issues. In addition, more and more often you can encounter scammers who offer counterfeit products instead of this valuable product. Let's try to find out which honey is liquid and remains so for a long time
Why does garlic turn blue in marinade? What to do so that the garlic does not turn blue: tips and tricks
Often, while preparing food for the winter, housewives face problems, the most common of which is the purchase of garlic in a blue-green vinegar marinade. How can this phenomenon be explained from a chemical point of view? How to use this knowledge to prevent the unpleasant process of coloring a vegetable? Find out from our article
Why is honey candied? We answer the question
We often see that honey hardens and candied, but few people know what it is connected with. What kind of honey is not candied, and should it change its consistency at all?
