Honey has long been a revered product due to its unique properties. Complex and rich chemical composition add to it popularity in the field of medicine, as it has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects. Naturally, only natural honey has all these useful properties, and artificial analogs lose greatly, including in terms of taste. About what is artificial honey and how to test it for authenticity, we'll talk in this article.
First of all, let's note what kind of honey we try to avoid. First, diluted honey additives - because none of us wants and should not overpay for the sake of an unscrupulous seller. Secondly, not ripe - which is also a sign of the hurry of the beekeeper in pursuit of profit, since this honey contains more water, quickly begins to wander and loses its taste. Thirdly, it is honey, obtained by bees, which were fed with ordinary sucrose. It is very difficult to call it useful and nutritious.
How can I immediately check honey for naturalness?
Since it is not always possible to verify whether a real honey, without additional "experiments", must first rely on its own sensations. To begin with, natural honey has a unique fragrant aroma, which is difficult to synthesize chemically. Try honey - after a while the tongue can slightly pinch, there will be a pleasant viscosity - a sure sign of good honey. Taste sensations will tell you in questions how to check lime or buckwheat honey - these sorts have special flavors, which even the inexperienced person in this area will distinguish. In addition, real honey is often heterogeneous: wax from honeycomb, wings of bees and other natural material can leak during filtration and indicate the authenticity of this honey.
How to properly check honey for home supplements?
On the chalk: vinegar or any strong acid will help. Honey with chalk must "zashipit" and foam.
How to test honey with iodine on starch? If, by adding a few drops to the product, you notice blueing - do not buy honey from this seller.
On the water: high-quality honey, if it is wound on a spoon, it will continuously stretch, but dilute - tear and splash. Another way, dip a piece of black bread in honey - bread absorbs the moisture of honey and will be covered with a "crust". Also remember that a liter of honey weighs about 1.4 kg. If less, the beekeeper tries to outwit you.
How to check honey for sugar?
It is peculiar to honey to be sugar-coated, it becomes very hard and crystallizes. Unfortunately, many people confuse such honey with fake, although from time to time it becomes only more intense and tastier. And unclean sellers often use it. Honey with sugar is really difficult to distinguish from "sat down", the main signs are a very white color, a faint aroma and insufficient astringency.
We add that sometimes beekeepers can not sell a good, but sown honey, and because of this, it is dissolved on a slow fire. But only on condition that the heating is not more than 40 ° C, we can confidently state that honey will not lose its useful properties.
How else can I check whether honey is natural?
The surest way is to find "your" seller. If possible, it would be great to buy honey from a beekeeper, whom you know personally and in whose honesty you do not doubt. This beekeeper is insanely busy from May to October with his apiary, which you can easily track.
Alas, all these methods do not give 100% guarantee of the naturalness of the product, since it is only a chemical laboratory that can check honey for naturalness with an absolutely accurate result. However, this should not stop you in trying to find an honest and responsible beekeeper who can supply excellent honey.