Crystallised honey good to eat, says beekeeper expert
Acommon complaint that beekeepers get from customers is the crystallisation of honey, says Fiji Beekeepers Association vice president Chuck McCay.
“One of the most common questions a beekeeper gets asked is, how I can be absolutely sure that the honey I’m buying has not been adulterated,” Mr McCay said. He said it was hard to really test the quality of honey without having it analysed professionally in a commercial laboratory.
However, he said many potential buyers were cautious because of stories they heard about sugar being added to adulterate the honey. “Most beekeepers are honest and proud to sell you a top-quality product,” Mr McCay said.
“Almost all honey produced locally are 100 per cent pure, however all honey, if left long enough, will naturally crystalise, especially if kept in a refrigerator.”
Crystallised honey is perfectly good to eat. Placing a bottle of crystalised honey into warm water will melt the crystals and return it to its original liquid state.
“The most common problem faced by customers when buying local honey is fermentation of the honey,” he said.
“An inexperienced beekeeper might harvest honey that has not been properly ripened by the bees, resulting in it having a moisture content of over 18 per cent.
“This could cause the honey to ferment, resulting in a large amount of froth and bubble at the top of the bottle, which can even expand with gases as it continues to ferment.”
A tiny bit of white residue at the top of a bottle of honey is quite normal and is no concern for alarm.
“The Fiji Beekeepers Association is active in educating beekeepers around Fiji so that they can improve the quality of their product,” Mr McCay said.
There are some misconceptions relating to honey, which have caused some beekeepers to be wrongly accused of adulterating honey. He revealed that one of these was that honey had to be one specific colour.
“The many colours and flavours of honey in Fiji are unique to our island nation,” he said.
“The consumer should be aware that the colour and the taste of honey is not the same everywhere at every time and it depends on which species of flowers the bees are visiting to find their nectar.”