The Real Honey Test

Is that jar of honey in the kitchen cupboard real? Does it have fillers in it such as corn syrup or high fructose sugar? Is it honey from a country that the United States has banned honey imports from? Before we get to the few ways you can test your honey, let me be clear, most of the recent tests you may have seen on YouTube or social media are completely bogus.

I was shocked to see a so-called (maybe self-proclaimed) nutritionist’s video showing “five easy steps to test honey at home.” The first red flag was that her tests involved liquidized honey and partially crystalized honey. All real honey starts in a liquid form and will crystalize. Although the amount of time it takes honey to crystalize can vary depending on the pollen and nectar the bees used to make it and what the moisture percentage was when bottled, real honey will eventually harden. Processed honey however, will take much longer to crystalize. If you have ever warmed crystalized honey, you’ll notice it stays liquified for quite a long time. Honey needs to be bottled between at an16-18% moisture content, if it is on the lower end it will crystalized faster. If it is too high the honey can ferment which will cause it to taste and smell bad. Bottom line, when honey lasts for years without hardening you can suspect that something might be off.

The following infographic on honey testing myths was created by the National Honey Board:

According to Food Safety magazine, 10% of honey tested by the FDA in 2022 was found to have contaminates or were blended with other sugars. The article also points out that over 70% of honey in grocery stores is imported from out of the country, the top two importers being India and Vietnam. There is however a black market for honey and unfortunately barrels of untested, imported honey do make it into the United States. Could local honey be blended? It’s possible but highly unlikely. Most beekeepers have taken on the trade because they love bees (and honey!) Outside of commercial beekeepers who lease their bees for pollination, the amount of physical labor, time and cost of equipment far outweighs high profits in honey selling.

Honey seeping through bread or dissolving in water is what honey does. Many state beekeeper associations offer a local honey certification test. Here in Missouri that program is in the works. The lab equipment required to test for non-local pollen is extremely expensive, so unless you happen to work in a lab with these machines, you’ll have to trust that your honey is safe. The only Real honey test is the one done in a lab. The best bet is to buy local honey from local beekeepers. How can you tell your honey seller is genuine? Simply ask the following question, How are your bees doing? Any passionate beekeeper will talk your ear off, and you’ll probably leave knowing more about bees than you ever thought possible.

Audrey L Elder   Fourteen Acre Wood

#Beekeeping #bees #Honey #honeytesting