10 ways to distinguish real honey from forgery

In order to determine whether a real honey is in front of you or a counterfeit, it is not necessary to take it to the laboratory for analysis. You can evaluate quality at home, using our instructions.

Assessment of the quality of honey by external characteristics

Consistency of honey

At the present honey, it is homogeneous, without impurities and stratifications, on the bottom there should be no sediment. Depending on the season, it can be liquid (in young honey collected in the summer) or thick, so-called "candied" honey. Such crystallized honey, as a rule, becomes lighter, unclear.

In this regard, the quality of liquid honey, which can be seen on the shelves of stores in winter, is questionable. Its liquid consistency suggests a falsification of the product or that the honey could be "dissolved" (per topic) to give it a presentation. Although it is possible and such an option that the bees were fed sugar.

The exception is only acacia honey, which slowly crystallizes and can retain a liquid consistency for longer.

Honey fluidity

The indicator is effective in assessing the quality of fresh honey. If you lower the spoon in a container with honey, scoop it up a little and lift it up, it will drag on for a long time, draining an even trickle on the plate, not tearing and forming a pea. The last drop springs and pulls back to the spoon.

When turning the spoon around its axis, the natural honey is wound on it, the fake will drain. And if the jar with honey is turned upside down, the air bubble (it should be one and large) must rise in the direction from the lid to the bottom of the can.

There is another trick: a drop of honey can be rubbed between the fingers. The natural is completely absorbed into the skin, the fake forms a lump and will roll.

Taste

This honey distinguishes not only a pleasant sweet taste, astringency but also a slight bitterness in the aftertaste. After a quality product, there must be a sore throat.

Aroma

Natural honey from forgery can be distinguished by its smell. In a quality product, it is unobtrusive, natural, floral. The counterfeit smells very luscious, unnatural, sharp, maybe an admixture of caramel.

Colour

Depending on which honey plant was collected nectar, honey can change its color from light yellow to dark brown. So, lime honey of amber color, buckwheat - brown, and flower honey - light yellow.

If you see white honey, it can be not only acacia but also the product obtained by processing sugar. In this case, the bees are fed with sugar syrup, which they process like ordinary nectar. And although even in the laboratory it is difficult to distinguish natural honey from counterfeiting, it is not compared to natural honey in its health benefits.

Brown honey can be achieved not only by collecting nectar from buckwheat fields, but also by re-heating last year's honey. At the same time, it heats up over 40 ° C and loses all its useful properties. Be vigilant if in spring or early summer you will be offered such honey.

The situation is also interesting with the May honey, which many fans of this delicacy are waiting for. Theoretically, of course, you can pump out in May. But the problem is that this honey is necessary for the bee family in order to feed the brood. If you take honey from the family in May, worker bees will be weak, sluggish, which will affect the significant reduction in the amount of the collected product. Therefore, it is unlikely that a good owner will take such sacrifices and risks. Be careful.

Image Source : 24health