Counterfeit and impure honey are commonplace in the market today, although most people want 100% bee-produced honey. Unfortunately, though, you shouldn't trust the "pure honey" label completely, unless you live in the European Union or Florida. Due to the variety of honey and the various types of sugar syrup or other ingredients mixed by unscrupulous manufacturers, there is no at-home test method that can guarantee success. However, do some tests if you can to get a good guess as to the purity of your honey.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Checking Honey Before Buying
Step 1. Find out about the laws governing the authenticity of honey in your area
Some countries or local governments issue regulations on the need to mention additives in honey. Other countries or governments do not have laws relating to the purity of honey, or may simply pass regulations without the ability to enforce them. Find out about the pure honey rules in your area, if any, to see how much you can trust the honey label at your local grocery store.
- By law, any honey product sold in the European Union must be free of additives, including antibiotics used to treat bee disease. Honey that is not good enough to affect its taste must be sold as "bread honey" which is intended for processed foods.
- The United States government does not test the purity of honey and allows very small amounts of antibiotics. The USDA logo does not guarantee the purity of honey.
- Florida is the only US state where it is mandatory to display all additives in honey, as long as it is produced and sold in Florida. Watch out for substances sold under different names, such as "honey blends" or "honey products," which are not subject to these laws.
Step 2. Read the label carefully, but don't just believe it
Check the brand or logo in addition to the ingredient list for "additives" or "flavors." Pure honey should contain only one ingredient: honey. However, even if no other ingredients are listed, the manufacturer may simply not list them.
Step 3. Honey tasting if sample is offered
Tasting is not an accurate way to test for additives, but if taste is an important point for you, it may be enough to decide. Note that a "weird" taste doesn't necessarily mean the honey is impure. There are many types of honey that come from various flower nectars, sap, or even the secretions of sap-eating insects. Each of them produces a different taste, and even honey from a beehive will vary from year to year because the nectar is collected from various sources.
Most sellers won't let you open a bottle of honey before buying it. Ask if you can sample a sample, but don't insist if it's not available
Method 2 of 3: Doing the Test at Home
Step 1. Understand that this test does not guarantee 100% accurate results
It's hard to find a simple test when you're dealing with so many delicious and amazing types of honey. The various types of pure honey include variations in density, flammability, and other characteristics. Although the following test has a correct basis in principle, in practice the results obtained may be less convincing. Try doing some of the following tests to test the consistency of success or failure of the honey you want to test. In most cases, you can only get a good guess.
Step 2. Mix a spoonful of liquid honey into warm water
Add a spoonful of honey to a glass of warm water, stir gently or let it sit. If the honey has been mixed with some kind of sugar syrup, it will dissolve into the water. Most pure honey, and unfortunately some impure honey as well, does not dissolve easily and sinks as solid lumps, or stays lumpy on a spoon.
Be aware that pure or fake honey is also sold in the form of a cream (evenly crystallized) or a dense honeycomb form. This form is also difficult to dissolve, whether the honey is pure or not
Step 3. Burn a cotton bud or wax that has been dipped in honey
This test is to check if water has been added to the honey so that the honey does not burn. Dip a cotton swab or wax wick in a little honey, and remove any excess. Try turning on the cotton swab or wick. If it is flammable, then the honey may not have added water, but other substances may have been added. If it doesn't burn or make a cracking sound, water may have been added.
Step 4. Place the honey on blotting paper or tissue paper
If the honey has been diluted with water, it absorbs easily and leaves a wet mark on absorbent materials such as blotting paper. Pure honey is not absorbed, but sadly neither is honey diluted with sugar syrup.
Method 3 of 3: Denying Myths Around Real Honey
Step 1. Don't let ants determine the authenticity of your honey
Ants are attracted to anything sweet and nutritious. Ants love honey, colored corn syrup, and the like.
Step 2. Understand that mixing honey with alcohol is not a good test
Some sources claim that mixing fake honey with spirits or alcohol will dissolve it and produce a milky solution, whereas pure honey will still clump at the bottom. Other sources claim otherwise! This myth has existed since at least 1893, and was not even confirmed by professional beekeepers at the time.
Step 3. Be skeptical of claims about pure honey moving in one direction or producing a certain shape
There are several myths on the internet that say that pure honey moves clockwise when poured, or that only pure honey forms a hexagon when placed on a plate and covered with water. There is no scientific evidence that fake honey will behave differently in the same situation.
Step 4. Test the claims yourself
There are many anecdotes floating around about the various ways to test the purity of honey, and most of them have not been scientifically tested. If you think any method seems reasonable, try testing a jar of honey that you think is real. Then mix it with the agave syrup, sugar syrup, or other sugar and do the same test. If you keep getting different results when you test diluted syrup compared to pure honey, the test may be helpful. However, keep in mind that no test that can be done at home can detect every additive in honey.
Tips
- Honey purchased at farmers' markets or from local beekeepers is generally real honey.
- Honeycomb is also most likely pure because it is taken directly from the beehive. However, some beekeepers feed their bees with artificial sugar or syrup, so they can directly produce non-native honey into the honeycomb.
- Crystallized or granulated honey tends to be purer, because some sugar additives generally don't crystallize well. However, this is still not a completely reliable test. Learning how to melt honey will be invaluable if you choose to buy crystal honey.
- Scientists analyzing honey use a mass spectrometer to separate the molecules in honey, detecting different types (isotopes) of carbon molecules associated with different types of sugar in a process called stable isotope ratio analysis. Even with this process, some additives are still difficult to detect.
Warning
- Don't give honey to babies - botulism spores may contaminate them (usually harmless to adults), but very dangerous for babies and can cause death.
- You should always be careful when dealing with hot flames and candles.
