How to identify true and false honey crystals_Tips for identifying true and false honey crystals

Honey is rich in trace elements such as copper and zinc. After honey is left for a period of time, due to changes in temperature and humidity, white, amber, dark brown, black and other different-colored pastes and solids will form at the bottom of the container or throughout the container. This phenomenon is called honey crystallization. So, how to identify real and fake honey crystals? I'll tell you below. Tips for identifying true and false honey crystallization

Crystallization is a natural attribute of natural pure honey. After new honey comes out of the beehive, it is usually in a liquid state. As the temperature and humidity of the storage environment change, most honey will Gradually crystallizes, changing from liquid to viscous paste. If the degree of crystallization is large, agglomeration may even occur. When the ambient temperature rises above 30 degrees Celsius, the crystallized honey will gradually melt (but will not return to its original state).

Due to different nectar sources of honey, the degree of crystallization also varies. Some honeys are very difficult to crystallize. At low temperatures, they only appear semi-crystalline or become viscous. For example, linden honey has fine crystallization, while tallow tree honey has coarse crystal particles. For honey from the same nectar source, honey with high concentration will have dense and fine crystals, while honey with low concentration will have loose crystals and coarse grains.

In order to make profits, unscrupulous traders have artificially produced crystals in low-quality honey. Such crystals are generally derived from sucrose and can be comprehensively identified using the following two simple methods:

1. Take a small amount of crystallized honey, put it on the tip of your tongue, and then hold it in your mouth. If you can feel it melting gradually and naturally, it is natural crystallization of honey. If it melts very slowly and has a hard sandy texture, it may be It’s the problem honey.

2. Take a little honey, put it on the back of your left hand, and then gently massage it with the back of your right hand. You will feel that the crystals gradually change from small particles to no more, and the feeling on contact with the skin gradually changes from fine sand grains to If it is smooth, it is a natural crystal. Therefore, honey is often used as one of the raw materials of cosmetics. Reasons why honey crystallizes

Why does honey crystallize? First of all, we must understand the basic ingredients of honey. Honey contains a variety of nutrients. Sugar accounts for about 80% of the total substance, of which fructose and glucose supersaturated solutions account for the total sugar. The amount is 85-95%, and sucrose accounts for about 5%. Since glucose is easy to crystallize, if the separated honey is placed at a lower temperature (0-14 degrees) for a period of time, the glucose will gradually crystallize. Therefore, honey crystallization is actually caused by the glucose in the honey. This is mainly Depends on the ratio between glucose and fructose (not easy to crystallize) in honey, that is, the percentage of glucose in reducing sugars. Generally speaking, when the content of glucose and fructose is equal to 1:1, crystallization is slow; when the ratio is 1:2, crystallization generally does not occur; when the ratio is 1:0.9, that is, when the glucose content is higher than the fructose content, crystallization occurs when the temperature is suitable It will appear soon. For example, sophora honey [4] has a glucose to fructose ratio of about 2:3 and is not easy to crystallize; rapeseed honey is about 18:17 and crystallizes very quickly. Factors affecting honey crystallization

The speed of honey crystallization is related to the glucose crystal nuclei it contains, temperature, moisture and nectar source. The glucose crystal nuclei in honey are very small, and there are also pollen grains present in honey. Under certain conditions, the glucose in honey grows and crystallizes around these small crystal nuclei. The more crystal nuclei there are in honey, the faster it crystallizes. The speed of honey crystallization is also affected by temperature. It is most likely to crystallize at 13-14°C. If it is lower than this temperature, the viscosity of honey increases, resulting in slow crystallization of honey; if it is higher than this temperature, the solubility of sugar increases, thereby reducing the degree of supersaturation of the solution and slowing down the crystallization. In addition, fully crystallized honey generally has a lower water content, while immature honey with a high water content will slow down its crystallization speed or fail to fully crystallize due to the reduced supersaturation of the solution. Different types of honey have different crystallizations. A few such as milkvetch honey, locust honey, jujube honey[5], and Codonopsis pilosula honey are not easy to crystallize; while rapeseed honey, wild Bazi honey, cotton honey, etc. are easy to crystallize.

Fake honey does not crystallize. Honey is a supersaturated solution of sugar. During the storage process, most of it will crystallize and separate, resulting in stratification or solidification, which will affect the sensory properties of honey and the shelf performance of the product. Merchants process honey according to the preferences of consumers (crystallization nucleation process). They usually use a filter of more than 200 mesh to filter out a large number of honey crystallization nuclei, and remove them by melting them at a heating temperature of more than 77 degrees. No crystallization or little crystallization. There are also unscrupulous manufacturers that directly mix maltose syrup into honey to prevent the honey from crystallizing forever!

By concentrating the water through mechanical processing, the crystallization nuclei are removed to make it difficult to crystallize. This kind of honey tastes extremely bad and has some harmful effects. It has a paste smell, very high consistency, no aroma, almost the same dark color, and there is not much difference in the flavor of honey varieties from various flower sources. Natural honey, single-flower nectar from various flower sources, is completely different in color, aroma, and taste. The flavor is unique and not the same. In addition, most of the honey species will crystallize in winter, and their nutrients The value is unmatched by processed concentrated honey. This is the difference between natural mature honey and processed concentrated honey.

In addition, some apiaries in our country have a lot of rain due to weather effects, resulting in natural low-density honey (honey with a moisture content of more than 23% or below 40 degrees). This low-density honey is easy to ferment. , the symptoms of fermentation include swelling of the bottle, bubbling, and becoming slightly acidic. Everyone has different taste preferences. Many customers prefer this slightly sour taste during the hot summer season, but refrigerated storage can delay fermentation.