How to choose good honey: determining the authenticity of the product

04.03.2024 13:10

Honey is loved by those with a sweet tooth; it is used to treat colds and boost immunity.

Honey never spoils and does not lose its medicinal properties. But all this is characteristic only of mature real honey.

There will be no benefit from honey melted at a high temperature, and from honey obtained from syrup. How to choose a healthy product?

When buying honey, you should first evaluate its appearance. It should not be too liquid, homogeneous, without impurities and layers. There should be no liquids on the surface.

Only fresh honey, taken from the hive recently, can be liquid. This usually happens no earlier than June. By winter, natural honey crystallizes. (Although, for example, honey from acacia or chestnuts only thickens, but does not harden.) A light coating appears on the surface of such honey. This indicates that the honey has not been melted.

honey
Photo: © TUT NEWS

If a beekeeper selling honey has honeycombs on the counter, this will also confirm the authenticity of the product.

The authenticity of honey can also be determined by taste. If you feel acidity, it means the honey has fermented. This happens with unripe honey.

The taste of berries and fruits indicates that the product is not natural. The caramel taste and smell indicate heat treatment. Real honey causes a slight sore throat and has a bitter taste.

When buying honey, you can do a few simple tests. A drop applied to your wrist will not spread if the product is genuine.

If you rub a little honey between your fingers, it should quickly soak into your skin, not roll into lumps. If honey flows off the spoon in waves and forms a mound, it is natural. When it flows in a stream and spreads into a puddle, it is artificial.

Natural honey, if you drop iodine into it, remains yellow. Fake honey may acquire a blue color or simply darken with this procedure.

Real honey should completely dissolve in warm water. If sediment is found, a conclusion is made about the presence of impurities, for example, flour in the product.

Only mature natural honey has all the beneficial properties. That is why it is so important to choose a real product.

We previously talked about how often you should wash your pajamas so that it doesn't become an impractical waste.

Author: Valeria Kisternaya Editor of Internet resources