The most common query about honey is, “I bought a bottle of honey and it has crystallized. Is it pure honey?” Well, the crystallization of honey is a natural process. Pure honey crystallizes. All said and done if your jar of honey doesn’t crystallize it doesn’t mean that it’s adulterated. It might so happen that you have bought Acacia Honey or you live in a place where the temperatures are high. Mustard honey crystallized within weeks while Acacia honey takes many years to crystallize.

 

After all, there are many floral sources of honey-like Eucalyptus, Jamun, and many more. So, the probability of honey getting crystallized after all depends on the type of honey you are storing.

 

What are the myths regarding honey crystalization?

 

• Crystallized honey is not worth consuming:

 

The granulation of honey is called crystallization. Many of us think that when honey crystallizes it is not worth consuming and it isn’t of good quality. But this is a natural process – honey turns from liquid to semi-solid state with granular composition.

 

The general perception among people is that if honey has crystallized, it is of poor quality, or it’s adulterated, it’s not pure or the way it’s stored is incorrect.

 

In fact, the sources of honey are varied. It all depends on the source of honey.

 

 

• Crystallization isn’t good:

 

 

In fact, crystallization happens naturally over time especially in the case of pure honey. It helps to preserve the nutrients and the quality of honey. Crystallized honey is easier to spread and is tastier.

 

 

• The rate of honey crystalization is the same for any type of honey:

 

 

The rate of crystallization depends on the type of honey. Some honey types crystallize fast, others don’t. At times honey gets crystallized at the bottom of the jar and the top it is in liquid form. So, at times honey gets partially crystallized.

 

 

• Natural honey has an expiration date and doesn’t last longer:

 

 

Natural and real honey undergoes many changes and it lasts for many years. When honey is processed it loses its natural qualities and doesn’t preserve its natural benefits.

 

 

Honey has varied types of enzymes and vitamins making it a good replacement for sugar. Honey should be raw, unprocessed, and unfiltered.

 

 

What is raw honey?

 

 

It means that it isn’t treated, overheated at high temperatures leading to the killing of enzymes and vitamins. Unfiltered honey means the natural ingredients including pollen is preserved.

 

 

The high amount of pollen implies that it comes from living flowers and not artificial ingredients.

 

 

Why does honey crystallize?

 

• The ratio of fructose and glucose in honey:

 

Honey has super-saturated solutions of two sugars: fructose and glucose. These proportions depend on the type of plants the bees feed on to make honey.

 

It is due to the glucose that honey crystallizes so, the honey that has less amount of glucose is resistant to honey crystalization . Alfalfa honey and clover honey tend to crystallize faster.

 

While maple and blackberry crystallize slowly.

 

 

• Pollen content:

 

Honey naturally has content of pollen and that acts as honey provenance. The amount of pollen present in honey depends on the plants the bees feed on. Bees get covered with pollen while they drink nectar from the flowers to make honey. It is sticky but it is plant sperm.

 

Honey has little bits of pollen and that makes honey crystallize. These flecks of pollen provide the basis for crystals to grow. Though pollen in honey is good for our health and it is simply the byproduct of bees collecting nectar while making honey.

 

Honey has different amounts of dextrose and levulose. It constitutes more than 70% of honey. The bees maintain around 35 to 40 degrees temperature when honey is present in the clean waxy comb. When honey is extracted from the comb, dextrose, which is less soluble separates from the solution to form an anhydrous crystal- white in color.

 

The speed of honey crystalization depends on these factors:

 

• Source of flower:

 

Each flower has a different ratio of dextrose and levulose in its nectar. When dextrose quantity is more, honey crystallizes faster. If its quantity is less, then the crystallization process takes many months.

 

Honey has dust, wax particles, and pollen in it. They act like nuclei in the crystallization process thus, helping the honey to crystallize faster.

 

• Mobility of the honey jar:

 

If you use honey daily, it is less likely to crystallize. Daily movement prevents the process of honey crystalization as it prevents crystals from setting down. If the honey jar is kept unmoved there is a high chance of faster crystallization.

 

The speed of crystallization affects how the texture of honey becomes during the process. If the process is faster tiny crystals are formed resulting in a smoother texture. If the crystallization process is slower the crystals look large and few, forming a grainy texture.

 

 

• Temperature:

 

Cooler temperature speeds the process of honey crystalization. Thus, if you observe each jar of honey has a label that says, “Do not refrigerate the honey jar”. This is because refrigeration quickens the process.

 

When honey gets crystallized you should keep it in warm water or sunlight as honey liquidities when it reaches 40 degrees centigrade.  

 

 

How to de-crystallize honey?

 

 

You can de-crystallize honey by simply heating it. But very hot temperatures should be avoided if you want to preserve the natural nutrients of honey.

 

 

Follow these below steps to de-crystallize honey:  

 

• It’s best to buy a glass jar and avoid a plastic one. Take a pot of water to fill it up around ½ or  ⅔ of the sides of the honey jar. Avoid covering the jar with the lid.
• After you place the honey jar in the pot, heat the water but don’t boil it. Start stirring the honey after every few minutes so that the crystals break.
• The hot water should not enter the jar.
• As soon as the honey smoothens remove the jar from the hot water pot.
• When honey becomes smooth once again remove the jar from the water.
• Always seal the jar tight. Store it in a cool and dry place.
• The type of packing makes a difference and so does the humid temperature.
• If you want the crystallization process to get delayed, consider the temperature at which you have stored it in the bottle. At room temperature, crystallization depending on the type of honey and factors mentioned earlier would begin over weeks, months, or years.

 

 

Visit Navmi website www.navmi.co.in to buy pure, original, natural honey as our focus since inception has always been serving customers with natural foods of the best quality. All our products like coconut oil, flaxseed oil, ghee, A2 milk, different types of natural honey, jaggery, turmeric, etc are chemical-free. Unprocessed foods contain higher amounts of antioxidants, they reduce the risk of heart disease, cancers, and other health issues.

 

Visit our site (Nirlesh Foods Private Limited or Navmi) www.navmi.co.in to know more about nutritionally pure and unprocessed food. Make a conscious and healthy choice of foods.

 

 

Read Similar Article: 

 

 

The untold story of Natural honey

 

 

Nomadic beekeeping and monofloral honey

 

 

Why does my honey jar have an expiry date?

 

 

 

@Nirlesh Foods Pvt. Ltd.