CRYSTALLIZATION AND HONEY QUALITY

Let us first define or explain what crystallisation of honey is. When honey takes on a solid or semi-solid from, it is said to be crystallised. Usually it is most noticeable when honey is put in the fridge and there are noticeable white granular substances at the bottom which most people around here conclude to be sugar (sucrose) granules.

This natural phenomenon happens when glucose, one of three main sugars in honey, spontaneously precipitates out of the supersaturated honey solution. The glucose loses water (becoming glucose monohydrate) and takes the form of a crystal.

Honey will crystallize because it is a supersaturated sugar solution. Let me be quick to add that this is not the sugar we all are medically worried about, on the average honey will contain only about 1.3% of the sugar(sucrose) that is harmful to health. The majority of the sugar in honey is glucose and fructose. Haven said this; a couple of factors may predispose honey to crystallisation. This will usually include but not limited to

1.     Botanical origin or source of the honey, and by extension its glucose level and moisture content.

2.     Alternate heating and cooling especially with harvesting processing and packaging.

3.     The presence of about 180 substances excluding sugars may also be a factor

The highlights of this is that we should not tag a sample of honey as bad because it has white sediments at the bottom of the jar, what it simply means is that the honey contains a good amount of glucose which is actually a positive indication. Honey samples from plant sources such as Alfalfa, Cotton, Dandelion, Prune, Rape etc will readily crystallise as opposed to honey from plant sources such as Tupelo, Sunflower, Grape, Acacia, etc. Which will not.

The only reason which is not so very concrete; while you should not go for honey with crystals at the bottom of its jar is that the crystallisation may have been caused by alternate heating and cooling at temperatures above 70˚C. This would have killed most of honeys essential micro nutrients with leaves the honey as just a solution of sugar.

However to prevent your honey from crystallising please do not put you honey jar in refrigerators. Your honey will remain good at room temperature. It is important that your honey does not crystallise by cooling or induction because this increases the moisture content and encourages fermentation of the honey. So, please warm crystallised honey by placing your jar in hot water making sure the temperature does not exceed 70˚C and let it remain at room temperature.

On a good note, it is interesting to know that crystallised honey is even more expensive and of other uses such as bread spread in some regions. It is called cremed honey, having the texture of butter, wow! I am sure you will love it.

Now I sure you know will not throw away your crystallised honey, what is at the bottom is not sugar(sugar) which your doctor warns you About but it is Sugar(Glucose) which you need badly. Have a honey time.

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