Why does honey change consistency

Oppositely, honey with less glucose relative to water is a less saturated glucose solution and is slow to crystallize. Honey with heightened water content often crystallizes unevenly not as a homogeneous mass and separates into crystallized and liquid parts.

The speed of honey to crystallize depends not only on its composition, but also on the presence of catalysts, like seed crystals, pollen grains and pieces of beeswax in the honey. These minute particles serve as nuclei for crystallization. Raw honey unheated and unfiltered contains bits of wax, pollen and propolis, and crystallizes faster. Honey that has been processed e.

Honey prepared for commercial market is usually heated and filtered. Heating and filtration of the honey dissolve any sugar crystals and remove foreign particles that might be present in it.

Therefore, the crystallization is hindered. The storage temperature has a big effect. Honey crystallization is most rapid around oC 59 oF. At temperature below 10 oC 52 oF the crystallization is slowed down. Low temperature increases the viscosity of honey honey is thicker when cool , and this retards the formation and diffusion of crystals. Honey resists crystallization best at higher temperatures more than 25 oC 77 oF.

When the temperature is 40 oC oF the crystals dissolve. Temperature above 40 oC oF will damage the properties of honey. Avoiding crystallization — Store honey at room temperature in tightly closed containers. The optimum temperature for storing honey is 21 to 27 oC oF. Avoid storing honey in cold temperature of 11 to 18 oC 64oF , which is ideal for crystal formation. Refrigerator temperatures accelerate the process of crystallization. Why did my Honey Crystallize?

Featured Posts. Beekeeping A Beekeeping Workshop for Bee-ginners! Try to find a warm location to store the honey, but make sure to avoid direct sunlight as this can reduce the beneficial properties of the honey.

To return crystallized honey to its clear liquid state, you can place the jar of honey in a warm water bath and gently stir it to make it less solidified. If you are worried about your honey crystallising, don't be. It means you are likely to have genuine raw honey that hasn't had all the goodness removed. It is perfectly good to eat, will taste great, and there is goodness in every teaspoon. The perfect corporate gift. With deep, complex flavours and goodness in every teaspoon, it is entirely up to you whether to stir it into your tea, spread it on toast, or lick it straight off the spoon.

Most raw honey has antibacterial properties, but the high levels of MGO give this honey an extra antibacterial punch. The star of this side is the Sweet Tahini Sauce which simply uplifts often boring winter vegetables.

We love this served with Grilled Haloumi or placed upon a generous dollop of Hummus for an easy, yet beautiful Winters meal. This quick and easy chicken and vege stir fry makes for a delicious mid-week dinner that the whole family will love. Even after so many years working with bees, we still think there is something quite miraculous about honey — it truly is a gift from nature. Since ancient times, people have revered honey. It's a fabulous spread glaze for cooking chicken or stir-fry, and This is where I realized that I needed to stop listing and taking photos of honey on things, because I kept eating all my photo models.

Back to the science. Let's break down what's happening in your honey, and what you can do about it. Finding a warmer spot to store your honey will slow crystallization.

It's fairly simple to turn your honey back into a smooth liquid again by heating it. The best way to do this is by to put your honey in a bowl of warm water and slowly letting it warm up. If you happen to have an ultrasound machine that produces waves at 23 kHz lying around, that works too.

Microwaving overheats the honey and doesn't heat evenly, so that's not recommended unless you are in a hurry. The problem is, as soon as your honey cools down, it will begin slouching back to chunky again. The simplest way to deal with this is to embrace your lovely honey lumps, and acquire a taste for crystallized honey.

After a few sessions of heating and cooling, your honey will loose that wonderful aroma of summer, and just become yellow sugary goop. If you really must have smooth runny honey, try heating a smaller batch, rather than the whole container.