How To Test For Pure Or Adulterated And Fake Honey

Scientists and traditions praise pure original honey for many benefits. Pure honey is believed to help with seasonal allergy. It also has antiseptic and antibacterial properties. They are used in wound healing for fighting infection although no scientific backing. It is added as sweetener because of its antioxidant, antimicrobial and soothing effect.

However, there are many adulterated or fake honey out there. Original honey called liquid gold is sweet liquid made by bees. They are obtained directly from hives without filtration hence contain trace amounts of yeast, wax and pollen. Pasteurised honey has been processed and heated to remove impurities.

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Bees convert the sweet juice from plant nectars into honey in hives that can be harvested by bee farmers. They appear as a clear, golden amber colour liquid. The flavour, texture and other properties vary slightly from each batch. This is because different plant nectars yield different properties in honey.

Fake Or Adulterated Honey

Adulterated honey is honey mixed with other sugar syrup. These syrups are not harmful to humans but have a different glycemic index and sweetness from honey. Sugars from cane, corn or rice are the most common adulterating sugars in honey. They are used because they are cheap and easy to produce. It won't be proper to call these mixtures fake.

Honey Content

Pure honey

Pure honey is a mixture of water and sugar. Water makes up about 18 percent of the total content. The remaining 70-82 percent are monosaccharides, fructose and glucose. Others are higher sugar, ash and some other impurities. It is slightly acidic.

Laboratory Test To Determine Pure Honey

To avoid approving these fake products, the government normally subject the sample to standard tests. There are two types of tests to determine if a honey is pure or not. They are C4 honey test and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR).

C4

Plants produce nectar to attract pollinating insects. Plants use either C3 or C4 pathways in producing nectar. This leads to a slight difference in the nectar from one plant to another. Bees prefer nectar from plants that produce their own using the C3 pathway. Most of the adulterants are plants that produce their nectar from C4 pathways.

This test is able to detect other adulterants by tracing anyone not from the C3 pathway. But many companies discovered some plants that have their nectars from C4 pathways and started adding their sugar to honey. Some examples are rice, wheat and beet.

NMR

This test is more specific. It can detect any extra impurities in a pure honey no matter what. It achieves this feat because every atom of a particular compound has certain chemical characteristics that can be determined. Since the characteristics of pure honey is well known, any other characteristics detected in any sample is adulterated. Atoms of a compound have a unique characteristics that no other have

Home Test

As the government works hard to prevent adulteration and discourage it, some companies have designed ways to escape the government watchful eyes. The job has been technically shifted to the hands of the citizens. There are some home based tests that have been said to detect an adulterated honey from the original.

No home test is accurate or should be used as a standard to detect adulterated honey. This is because some pure honeys fail these tests. This is because different bees use different nectars which end up with honeys of slightly different characteristics. Also, the age of the bee can affect the characteristics of the honey.

Before any honey is consumed and when there is concern about its authenticity because of health, read the label carefully. Some labels indicate that it is not a pure honey and name the added addictive. If still in doubt, a simple flavour test can help sometimes. Pure honey is acidic hence gives out a very strong burning sensation. Others are:

1. Thumb test: place a small amount of honey in the thumb and observe. Pure honey is thick and will not spread. Adulterated may but some adulterated will not if it was adulterated with a suitable thickener.

2. Water test: put honey in a spoon and put the spoon in a glass of water to cover the honey. Pure honey is expected to stick with the spoon and not dissolve into the water. Adulterated will dissolve inside the water because it is soluble. Some adulterated honey may also pass this test if an appropriate thickening agent was added.

3. Flame test: honey is flammable. Dip the thread of a candle in honey and add fire to the thread. If it burns, it is pure honey. Adulterated honey will contain more water which will prevent it from burning. This test may be good.

4. Vinegar test: a tablespoon of honey mix with 2-3 drops of vinegar and water should not react but adulterated will form foam.

5. Heat test: pure honey caramelized quickly when heat is applied and not foamy.

6. Paper test: drop honey on a blotting paper. Adulterated honey will be absorbed into the paper because of the moisture content when the pure honey will be sticky.

7. Ant test: it is believed that honey contains addictive substances to protect it from pests like ants in their hives. It is believed that that is the reason ants don't gather on pure honey. But this is just a theory with much controversy. Some believe that ants may not be in the area hence they will not come for it. That doesn't seem to answer the main question on the ground. What about carrying out the experiment in a place with ants but they seem to avoid it. If we are to doubt the theory of addictive repelling ants, another explanation that may seem logical is that the sticky nature of honey makes ants scared to get close, stick to it and die. What is their benefit if they die trying to get honey. But since adulterated honeys in most cases contain higher percentages of water, ants can get close.

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8. Freeze test: every matter exists in three different states; solid, liquid and gases. At the right temperature, every matter changes state. However, the best commercial freezers don't go below -16°c. And at this level, pure honey will not freeze. And since there is more sugar than water, it will crystallise over time. The rate of crystallization varies between different pure honey. Honey with more glucose than fructose will crystallise more. Adulterated honey will not crystallise because of the moisture content. Some sugar additives will not crystallise properly. Some will freeze.

9. Starch test: add iodine, water and honey and observe. When there is no colour change, the honey is believed to be pure. Colour change means adulteration. This test seems logical.

Still confused as to what to do, just get honey from your local bee farm. They are really expensive but worth it especially when it is for health reasons.

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