How to keep honey from going to sugar?

In this brief guide, we are going to answer the question “how to keep honey from going to sugar”, we will provide you a brief illustration of how to.

How to Keep Honey from Going to Sugar

To save the honey, select a glass rather than a plastic jar. It will maintain the flavor and quality of the honey in a tight, lit container.

 Temperature is key, honey has a better shape when stored in a cool place. Cold temperatures (below 10°C) are ideal to prevent crystallization.

Why Does Honey Crystallize

Honey crystallization is a natural phenomenon: honey transforms from liquid to semi-solid when crystallized.

Honey contains a very high proportion of sugar, which is about 70 percent, and less than 20 percent is constituted by water, as is possible due to its sweetness. The water included thus does not dissolve all the sugars naturally.

As glucose is extracted from the water and stays in crystalline form, it develops crystal growth. This does not influence the product’s essence or is related to poor storage or sweetness. In reality, the crystals show that honey is of high quality and not processed.

What is the Composition of Honey

Fructose, accompanied by glucose and sucrose is the principal sugar present in honey. 

The sweet taste of honey is due to its higher content of fructose, and fructose is considered to be sweeter than glucose or sucrose.

It also contains nutrition and traces of other elements like the following:

  • enzymes( invertases, glucose oxidase, catalase)
  • amino acids
  • B vitamins
  • vitamin C
  • minerals
  • Antioxidants

How to Keep Raw Honey from Crystallizing

You can’t avoid the crystallization of raw honey entirely, but you can take measures to slow it down. And you can choose honey varieties that take a lot longer to crystallize if you don’t like the texture of the crystallized honey.

Following are the different methods to prevent crystallization:

  • Choose a jar to store the honey instead of a plastic jar: it will preserve its flavor and consistency if kept in a well-lidded bottle.
  •  Temperature is key: when stored in a cool environment, honey keeps its shape better. Cold (under 10°C) temperatures are optimal to avoid crystallization. Moderate temperatures (10-21°C) foster crystallization (14°C is the fastest crystallizing temperature). Hotter temperatures (over 21°C) avoid crystallization but harm the honey and promote fermentation.
  • You can freeze honey in small amounts and allow it to thaw when you have to use it at room temperature. Freezing stops crystallization.
  • The filtering of honey, which removes some particles which trigger the crystallization process, is another way to avoid crystallization. It is more likely that the sweetness is poor in glucose-to-water ratios.
  •  The honey kept during bottling also slows the crystallization rate at temperatures of about 40 °C to 71 °C.

Other FAQs about Honey which you may be interested in.

Does real honey crystallize?

Does Honey Kill Bacteria

According to  Rose Cooper, a microbiologist at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, and colleagues have shown, “Compared with an artificial honey solution of the same thickness and sugar concentration, natural honey kills bacteria three times more effectively.”

For centuries Honey has been an appreciated part of traditional medicine. It is used for resolving liver, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and other infectious diseases.

In various research studies, the high health properties of honey have recently been confirmed. This substance has a highly complex antimicrobial function. The crucial antimicrobial ability of honey is due to the following:

  •  The development of hydrogen peroxide
  •  Bee defensin-1
  •  High osmolarity and low pH

Why some Honey Crystallize and Other Doesn’t

Unfiltered honey can crystallize faster than filtered honey. 

In the unfiltered honey solution, crystals begin to form on pollen or beeswax, or any other small particles which encourage the formation of other crystals.

Honey with a high glucose level can crystallize much faster than fructose. 

The nectar of the flower used to make the honey will affect the balance of glucose to fructose in the honey produced by the bees.

Acacia and Sage honeyThey’re all higher in fructose than glucose so they’re going to crystallize much more slowly than others.

Conclusion

  • Honey Crystallization is a natural process that can be prevented by keeping it at a cool temperature.
  • Honey crystallizes due to the high sugar level.
  • Crystallization can be prevented by slowly heating it.

In this brief guide, we answered the question “how to keep honey from going to sugar”, we discussed why honey crystallizes and under various conditions, the crystallization can be prevented.

References

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey#Fermentation
  2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5424551/
  3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5424551/
  4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26709666/