Honey has been a part of our lifestyle for decades now. Right from being used for cooking and the treatment of various diseases and illnesses, honey’s popularity and prestige as a magic potion for the external and internal health of our body have been increased with time. Honey has a vital nutrient as a powerhouse and is a nutritionist’s dietitians and beauty experts favourite for its well-defined factors. But the biggest query about honey that always has hit our minds is our concern related to the purity of honey, that whether it is pure or not. Some easy tests have been publicized to check the quality of honey. So, without wasting much more time, let’s discuss these tests first.
TESTS USED TO CHECK QUALITY/PURITY OF HONEY
Water test
Take a spoonful of the honey and add it to a glass of warm water. Fake or adulterated honey will dissolve in the water, while pure honey with a thick appearance will settle as lumps right at the bottom of the glass. The same is true of blotting paper or white cloth. It won’t get absorbed or leave stains if you pour pure honey on both of them.
Flame Test
Take and dip a dry matching stick into the sweetheart. Hit a matchbox with the matchstick. Your sweetness is pure, if it lights. It may also be adulterated if it isn’t light and can have some additional moisture during contamination.
Heat Test
It will easily caramelize when you heat pure honey and not become foamy. Although it couldn’t caramel and bubble on heating in the event of impure sweetness.
Using Vinegar
Mix a tablespoon of honey, some water, and 2-3 drops of vinegar essence together. If this mixture foams up, there’s a very high chance that your honey may be adulterated.
Though these tests are being promoted to check the purity of honey, these tests are not widely approved as they can be misleading. It can generate both false-negative and false-positive results.
Myths About Honey
Let’s put light on some myths which are roaming around and is the main cause of adulteration practice.
Myth: Light-colored honey is of top quality.
Truth: The color of the natural honey varies from light transparent color to dark mustard color, mainly depending on the source of the flower. Regardless of color, all types of natural honey have nutritional value and medicinal benefits.
Myth: Only honey from small-sized bees has medicinal value.
Truth: The process of honey making is the same for bees of all sizes. The bees collect nectar from the flower and then by the process of regurgitation change them into honey and store them in their hives. There is no qualitative difference in honey. All types of honey have almost the same value nutritionally and medically. The only difference is the quality of production.
Myth: Honey will not spoil in any condition
Truth: Honey tends to ferment and produce an acidic smell and also darkens with age. However, it will not spoil only if it is properly harvested, handled, and stored (in a glass container).
Because of these myths, the synthetic honey supplier is flourishing, and genuine honey suppliers are struggling to sell.
Tips to Buy a Quality/Pure Honey
- Find the nearest/local source of honey.
- Check for a brand that has direct access to the source of honey
- Don’t fall prey to perfectly shiny honey
- Smell your honey right after you open the top.
Muzamil
Great blog Tanzeela