Here’s all you need to know on quality honey

Honey is more than just its sweet taste, fructose and glucose components; honeybees add something special to it that is not found in any natural sweeteners or artificial sugars.

It is medicinal, antiseptic, anti-cancer, gentle on blood sugar, friendly to human liver and the most ideal fuel for burning body fats.

Therefore, honey with added glucose, molasses, sugar syrup, inverted sugars or any other similar product is not in its pure form. Pure honey does not immediately dissolve in water; in fact, one will notice that it takes some effort to stir it in the water to dissolve. Pure honey has the following properties that vary depending on the specific plants used to make it.

a) Water content

All unpasteurised, raw honey contains wild yeasts. These yeasts may not be a problem when honey has low water content but if high in water, fermentation may occur during storage.

Fermentation increases acid levels that change the freshness, flavour and colour of your honey. Raw honey that has a moisture content of 14 per cent or lower and a water content of 18 per cent or less is considered of good quality.

b) Impurities

Good quality honey should be clean and lightly filtered to remove wax, bee parts and other debris.
c) Colour

While colour is not an indicator of quality, honey is graded into light, amber and dark. These colours vary due to the different floral or plant sources. Generally, the darker the honey, the higher its mineral contents, pH, and aroma or flavour levels. Minerals such as potassium, chlorine, iron, calcium, manganese, magnesium and sodium have been found to be much higher in darker honeys.

d) Invert sugars
Good quality honey should be free of sweeteners or artificial sugars. It should also not contain preservatives, glucose, sugar syrup, dextrose, flour or starch.

e) pH
Good quality honey should be slightly acidic with average pH of 3.9 to help prevent the growth of bacteria. Its antioxidant constituents also help clean up free radicals.
Honey storage
Honey is susceptible to physical or chemical changes and its quality can also change due to temperature leading to odour and loss of flavour. This is because honey can be broken under high temperatures damaging the vitamin contents.

Honey should, therefore, be stored safely in sealed containers preferably in glass bottles to remain stable. Larger quantities can be stored in properly sanitised, sealed stainless steel drums. The recommended storage temperature is 21 to 27 degrees Celsius.

Deterioration of quality

It is important to minimise chances of honey deteriorating its quality through fermentation, heating or storage. Fermentation of honey is caused by the action of sugar-tolerant yeasts on dextrose and levulose sugars, forming ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide.

These two break down to acetic acid and water to give the honey a sour taste. Fermented honey is partly granulated and is characterised by a foam or froth on the surface with an odour as that of sweet wine or fermenting fruit. The packaging container may then burst due to production of gas.

FERMENTED HONEY

Fermented honey can sometimes be reclaimed by heating it to about 65.6 degrees Celsius for up to 30 minutes to expel some of the bad flavour. Fermentation is, however, avoided by heating to kill yeasts.

Overheating and improper storing also leads to spoilage of honey. Generally, changes that take place quickly during heating also occur over a longer period during storage with the rate depending on the temperature and they include darkening and loss of fresh flavour.

Health benefits of honey

Honey shortens the duration of bacterial diarrhoea in infants and young children. It can be used to substitute glucose in oral rehydration solution containing electrolytes.

It is also used as a source of energy and minimises seasonal allergies. It provides about 64 calories per tablespoon whereas the same amount of sugar only provides about 50 calories.

The sugars present in honey can be easily converted into glucose by even the most-sensitive stomachs making the produce easy to digest. Honey and lemon juice help reduce weight.

Honey facilitates blood sugar level maintenance, muscle recuperations and glycogen restoration after exercises. This golden liquid also contains a variety of vitamins and minerals. Its antioxidant properties improve the body’s immunity.

Honey is also a remedy for ailments, including cuts and burns. Its anti-microbial properties make it possible to help treat sore throats, thereby reducing the frequency of coughs.

Opinya works in the Department of Animal Sciences, Egerton University