There is impure, artificial and adulterated honey out there in the stores. The big question is how to know if the honey you buy is pure or not?
Presently, flavorless-corn syrup, sugars, and other compounds are the main ingredients to adulterate the honey. It becomes an arduous task to tell the purity of honey just by looking at it. Worry not, there are some tests you can conduct at home to know the purity of the honey.
The Internet is full of all types of tests. Most of them are:
- Thumb rule– If the drop of the honey drops off your thumb. It’s fake
- The Flame game– light up a cotton bud dipped in the honey if it burns: Pure.
- Ant sacrifice– Ants will die after eating pure honey, or else it’s fake.
- Time to dissolve– Pure honey does not instantly dissolve in the water.
- Vinegar time– Mix vinegar (2 drops), some water and 10 g (1 tbsp) of honey. If it foams up, it is fake.
These entire tests may not tell the truth. There are no scientific/experimental backups to these!
However, there is a sure-shot way to know if the honey you buy is pure-
Conduct a carbon isotope ratios test to determine if the external sugars are added to the honey. Well, most people cannot, including me. You need a laboratory with a sound knowledge of Biotechnology.
Do not lose hope! Still, there are two solid and authentic ways to make sure if the honey is natural and organic.
1. Honey Never Expires
If honey has an expiry date. It is not fit to consume.
2. Honey never freezes
Pure honey contains only 18% water. This amount is not sufficient to freeze it solid.
To be specific,
Between – 20°C to – 40°C, pure honey will seem like it has frozen but it will continue to free-flow.
Between – 40°C to – 51°C, honey will transform into a glass-like state.
Below – 51°C, honey will become an amorphous (without a defined shape) solid.
Still, there are questions about the quality of the honey.
Because in modern times,
1. Bees collect the nectar from-
- Flowers and plants treated with the pesticides.
- Sugar Syrups
2. Beekeepers use different artificial tricks to boost the production of the honey.
At last,
Although now you know how to know if the honey you buy is pure!
Bur the only way, you can be certain and assured about the purity of honey is that you get the Raw Forest Honey.
