How to Test for Pure Honey
How can we differentiate 100% pure honey and adulterated honey?
There is a rising number of visitors to Benefits of Honey writing to me and asking this question. Unfortunately, I don’t really have a clear answer to this, but would like to share my experience and thoughts about this issue from a honey consumer perspective.
The term "adulterated honey" implies that the honey has been added glucose, dextrose, molasses, corn syrup, sugar syrup, invert sugar, flour, starch, or any other similar product, other than the floral nectar gathered, processed, and stored in the comb by
honey bees.
Legal standards and requirements for foods, including
honey quality,
and tests for honey adulteration vary widely amongst countries and some may not meet the wish of every consumer around the world.
Personally, when selecting honey in the shop, I think it’s almost impossible to tell the bad from the good by just looking at the honey content through the bottle or studying its
food and nutrition labels.
My take is always -- go for the trusted or more known brands. We all know that a “pure honey” label doesn’t guarantee at all that it is not diluted with water and further sweetened with corn syrup; it just promises that there is real pure honey inside, with no suggestion of its amount. The law does not require a “pure honey” label to say how much pure honey is in the bottle. Some honey brands you get from the supermarkets don’t carry any ingredients list and this is enough to make me feel suspicious of the quality. Also, prices are not always a good indication of quality honey. In
food fraud
cases, manufacturers can mix different
honey floral blends
and sell it as more expensive varieties such as Manuka honey. And so-called “local honey” may not be locally produced and processed local honey but cheap, low quality honey imported from other countries but bottled and distributed locally.
A common misconception is that granulated or
crystallized honey
is proof of adulteration with sugar water. The truth is honey is a supersaturated sugar solution and can granulate whether or not it has been adulterated, so crystallization is normal, especially in temperate climates. Furthermore, some honey from certain floral sources is especially prone to crystallization. Buying honey in the comb is one way to assure ourselves of a quality product.
Comb honey
is sealed in the hive by the bees; therefore consumers can be confident that the honey has not been adulterated with sugar water. However, to boost honey production, some beekeepers
feed their bees with sugar syrup so that the bees can convert the syrup to “honey”. Do such practices have any implications on why some honey appears to be very clear and runny, just like syrup?
Some websites teach that ants don’t fancy pure honey and will not hover around it. I don’t quite understand or believe this, there’s no reason why ants would favour processed
sugar over honey.
Also, I was wondering how to invite the ants for a honey assessment (does “no ants” mean pure honey?). The reason why a sweet liquid is more attractive than another for the ants could also be due to the liquid density and we know that honey viscosity varies depending on its floral type. Another test that is commonly discussed over the internet is the flame test which involves lighting up a cotton bud dipped into the honey with a match-stick flame. It’s believed that the honey will burn if it’s pure. I have tried this method many times using different types of honey, some of which I was very sure they’re pure honey (e.g honeycomb honey), but the result I got was never consistent, and it seemed to depend very much on how much honey was dipped and how long the honey was exposed to the flame.
There’s another simple way which I have tried to verify the purity of honey: Observe how liquid honey comes down into a glass of water. Pure honey does not immediately dissolve in water; you will notice that it takes a bit of effort to stir it in the water to dissolve the lumpy bits, whereas sugar tends to dissolve easily in a jiggery as you drop them into the water. However, test result is sometimes not that clear because different honey varieties have different viscosity, some are denser and thicker than others, and obviously honey in cream form, even if it’s adulterated with other substance, will not dissolve as easy as liquid honey in water.
It is suggested that people who are used to tasting honey may be easier to detect any added sugar. But frankly, because there are just too many floral varieties and blends, and the amount of adulteration may not be sufficient to affect the taste and aroma of the honey, even though I frequently take honey, I am still not 100% certain about my suspicion sometimes.
Hence, it’s hard to be really absolutely sure about honey authenticity, unless from home you can perform scientific laboratory test like spectroscopy, a method that uses the principle of interaction of light with mater to differentiate substances or conduct carbon isotope ratios analysis to determine if sugars were added to the honey (don’t bother if these jargons sound totally bizarre; as a consumer, I am not familiar with them either). Nevertheless, from all the verification ways that are discussed above (labels, pouring, dissolving honey, etc) if you have reasons to suspect that the honey is diluted and corn syrup has been added, my stance is - stay away from those brands. Better to err on the side of caution than to be sorry...well, you most probably won’t fall sick by taking the adulterated honey, but you know adulteration with cheaper sugars brings down the natural value of the honey and this doesn’t help in justifying for the amount of money you pay.
And meanwhile, if any of you, honey lovers, honey connoisseurs, beekeepers, or anyone has a reliable method to test pure honey from home (without the use of industrial chemicals), why not just share with us by posting it below!
Read Postings - How Else to Test for Pure Honey
Below records some suggestions posted by readers of this page. Do you agree? Just try and judge for yourself to see if the method works! And you have a great method to test for unadulterated honey, why not share with us! But please note that due to the number of postings that we're receiving on this subject, only those unrepeated ones will be posted.
| Getting to know a trusted brand is very important, of course. For instance i like to purchase bottled honey made by Sweetmeadow NZ because the company produces a wide range of honey vary from cloudy-white to dark brown, so i believe it is very unlikely that the company will add sugar or water into their honey. moreover, the Kamahi and Wildflower honey they sell appear to be quite solid like groundnut paste, i think there's no way they could adulterate this kind of honey. adding on, the company sells comb honey too so i have very high faith with this brand that their honey is pure and unaltered. they also affirm there's no water or sugar added, no additives and no preservatives. all their honey is stated as "100% pure honey" on the bottle label. if anyone is staying in S.E.Asia i think you can give this brand a try, take a look on their website and products.
Alternatively, you can also get raw and natural honey from your local pharmacies. look for brands that are organically certified.
Pure honey should have a layer of bubbles on top or around the edge of the bottle, sometimes it might have impurities like dust particles. theoretically, pure honey has around -3 celcius freezing point so it will not freeze in the chiller (bottom compartment of your fridge).
I hope these help. good luck to you in search of the best honey for your beloved family.
Wilson Wong, Malaysia
10 March, 2010
Ruth: "Quite solid like groundnut paste" is cream honey, one of the honey forms. Adulterated honey can also be made into cream honey. Also, beware of food labels and marketing claims, e.g honey can contain 100% pure honey but may not consist 100% of pure honey.
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I'm a beekeeper in Colorado. Yes, sugar syrup is used to boost honey production,but only as a way of giving a newly started hive a boost to their brood production which in turn produces more bees for a quick spring buildup.This results in a stronger hive ,"more bees", to produce honey from the actual nectar sources available.I assure you they aren't trying to cheat anyone! Sugar syrup is also converted into actual honey by the bees as Lisa pointed out.The sugar water is also used to build comb,where they not only store honey but it's also a place for the Queen to lay her eggs. I hope this helps people understand the use of sugar water as a tool for the beekeeper to boost brood production.
Douglas Fasi, United States
22 February, 2010
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Find a local beekeeper and ask them to mentor you as you become a new beekeeper. Then and only then you can know for sure you can harvest real honey as pure as it gets. You can know you did not put chemicals in the hive to kill pests or diseases. You can know you did not feed your bees anything that would adulterate the honey.
Ahhh Yes, Peace of mind.
Chappie McChesney, United States
19 February, 2010
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My school is doing a science fair and have to test and see how to tell if honey is real or not, i tested it and discovered you just had to put real honey on your skin and rub, if it sticks it means its fake, if it does'nt it means its real.
Ruth: Real honey can stick as well, in fact it is commonly used in application on troubled skin. Also, stickiness of the honey depends on the viscoisity of its floral variety.
Martin Chevreau, United Kingdom
14 January, 2010
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Perhaps, in my small view, I consider that a pure honey is when we drop into the paper, it would not perforate the paper. But, it's relative. The proper thing to do is to pray before we taste the honey and so it will be more blessing. May HE helps us in all our favor.
William Woodcat, Indonesia
4 January, 2010
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To know if you're buying pure honey, buy it from a local beekeeper. You know it's local because you can see the hives for yourself. A way to ensure it's pure - volunteer to help them out during honey collection! The beekeeper gets a little from labor and you get peace of mind and a little education experience.
David Hutchinson, United States
17 November, 2009
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1. Pour a few drops of honey into a clear glass of water and we could see the drops settle at the bottom of the glass, and without shaking or stirring the glass of water, drink the water. Water has no taste of honey or sugar. It doesn't readily mix with water.
2. Pour one or two drops into a tissue paper, the paper doesn't get wet for a long time.
3. Take a small drop on our outer skin and rub it well. It won't become sticky. But if sugar is added it will become sticky. Feel the difference!
Lalu Bahulan, India
14 November, 2009
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I m from Kashmir, once heaven on earth where tons of fruite would be eaten by the livestock, and the biggest exporter of saffron, alnuts and honey. We have three authentic tests for purity of honey and, amazingly, all of them work. One, if its pure honey a dog will not lick it; two, flies will not sit on it and three, it will not leave a stain. Try it.
Sadiq Ali, India
14 November, 2009
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Having spent the 1st 23 years of my life raising bees commercially with over 2000 hives. I can say that there are no test outside a lab that you can use to be sure the Honey is pure. Most of the test mentioned here may work for one type of honey or the other, but as the moisture content varies from one type of honey as to another, these test will also vary. Orange Blossom and Clover Honey is going to be lighter in color and sweeter, Tulip Popular is going to be so dark that it at times can be confused with mollasses. Sourwood Honey will vary from area to area from light yellow to read. Golden Rod Honey will have a higher moisture content then most. The darker honey is darker for the most part because it has more minerals in it then lighter honeys. Putting corn suryup in honey became popular in the late 70's and nearly put most bee keepers out of business as they could not produce and sell honey to compete with the adulterated honey.
Best way to do it is to buy it in the comb and squeeze it out your self! Until our goverments crack down on people who adulterate our foods with punishment harsh enough to make it not worth the time there is a big chance that the honey you buy in the super market or from a large labled company has been adulterated. Another form of adulteration is to filter the honey so that it looks and taste like corn suryup, leaving the honey as usless as corn suryup.
Darwin, United States
9 November, 2009
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Buy it direct from the beekeeper - there are bee clubs everwhere that can direct you to a beekeeper. I get a better price & excelent quality. also I sometimes buy comb - that is always pure honey. And also - even if they feed sugar to the bees - The bees make it into honey, and mix it with the gathered stuff, so it would not be all that bad if you get sugar honey, it is still honey. The bee adds the stomach enzymes and that is what makes it honey. The poor quality stuff you mention is when they collect the honey before the bees have had a chance to cure it or evaporate out most of the water - then it can spoil and ferment. a specific gravity test would ensure it is good - but in reality the bees will cap it when it is ready - and a good beekeeper will only harvest honey that is capped.
Lisa Shock, United States
21 October, 2009
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Dr. Lynne Chepulis, in her book, 'Healing Honey' suggest applying "real' honey to half a bandage and 'suspect' honey to the other half and observe how the wound responds.
I believe this would be a good test. In the case of sunburn, where a large patch of skin was tested, or say where both hands were equally affected, the test should be very revealing.
The 'real' honey should bring about a greater reduction in inflammation, pain and tenderness. However, just how this would reveal the presence of say, Ten Percent of other syrup is not clear, as even a small amount of honey in water, milk, or any dressing seems to produce good results.
In the book, "Honey, Mud and Maggots" the Root-Bernstein Couple indicate that because of the density factor (osmolarity) many forms of sugar, both granulated and as syrups are beneficial to the wound healing activity.
My most promising test is in the gut. As one who qualifies as 'Pre-Diabetic' I am studying how the honey feels in my body in the hour or so immediately after ingesting it.
Honey from my own hives is my standard, and to date I am finding that some Supermarket brands set my blood sugar jumping and I feel jittery, and if taken at night, unable to fall asleep readily.
However, it is such a subjective test, one must proceed with much care. I am encouraging some of my Diabetic customers to study these symptoms also.
As a beekeeper, honey producer and vendor, I am of the opinion that the larger the concern the more they have to gain from putting in the equipment needed to introduce cheaper syrups into the honey. Small time beekeepers are much less likely to want to buy up tanks and pumps and blending devices. I am also aware that as individual beekeepers, we represent a very broad range of human types.
In his book, "The Honey Revolution" Dr. Ron Fessenden sums up this problem by saying "Buy your honey from someone you trust!." So I guess that as a Doctor of Medicine he is all too aware that personalities are subject to a lot of variation.
As honey has been suppressed for maybe 100 years (as far as its health promoting properties are concerned), there is little profit in its production, so any beekeeper still persevering with beekeeping is unlikely to be affected by a lust for money. But with poor environmental conditions prevailing and even worsening, his need for economic survival may twist his morals just that little bit!
Not everyone in New York City has access to a local beekeeper, and some may live next door to one they don't trust. So what to do? Other than buy only comb honey, I believe one needs to accept what is available in good faith, being also willing (and eager even) to upgrade when the opportunity arises. It seems there are multiple levels of quality, and the sales messages will always say, "This one is the best!"
The language of honey, the facts of honey, the beliefs surrounding honey are as distorted and misrepresented as much and more as they are around any other foodstuff in the market, and probably only because it is such an ancient commodity. No two experts agree on what is best, and we all judge honey by our own criteria.
So it follows that any degree of switching from manufactured sweeteners over to natural honey is likely to yield excellent results. Perfection may not be required.
We may not always get the quality we pay for, but seldom do we get quality if we weren't willing to pay for it.
John Smith, Australia
18 October, 2009
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| As it has been told if it gets crystallised that doesn't mean its made of sugar or such stuff, its quite normal depending on the traits of the honey.
You can also differ from the colour of the honey, it must have a natural colour i mean not blurred no matter what its clour is (light/dark brown, yellow)
Some honey can be watery too liquid, and that means it wasn't taken in the right time but earlier, honey must be ripen too.
Never believe what is written on labels, if you can, try to get it from a trusted beekeeper:)
I guess no need to deal with yolk egg etc. If you can observe these things the honey is fine. There can be slight changes in its taste, that depends on the climate that year or flower and there is nothing to worry about. It contains the all the nutriments.
Seval Sahin, Turkey
17 October, 2009
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My grandmother used to bring us raw honey or comb honey. She told us that one way to test it is to dip an unused matchstick into the comb honey. Then strike the match, if it lights up continuously then it is "pure honey" but if something has already been done or added to it.
Evangeline Mañalac, The Philippines
17 October, 2009
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To test a real pure honey, physically the only way is by tasting and no other way. 1st the sweetness taste of the honey is like biting in your throat. When the honey is in your mouth before swallowing, your tongue will appear to be stuck on the top of your mouth. If the honey is not pure and mix with sugar the taste is just normal sweet like in sugar sweet does not have that biting feeling.
And the best proven way is to bring it to the lab to test the sucrose, glucose, fractose, moisture content......etc There's no other way period.
Zep, Singapore
13 October, 2009
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The only true test to confirm whether it is pure honey is to know the beekeeper! "How do you know if it's pure honey if you don't know the beekeeper?" Buy honey from your local beekeeper. Pay them the asking price for the honey. It takes time to keep healthy hives and is labor intensive to harvest.
Kenn, United Kingdom
9 October, 2009
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I read somewhere that a test for pure honey is to drop some on a flat surface and if it's pure it will retain its bubble-like shape but if corn starch has been added or the bees fed with sugar water, then the honey will run. I tried this and it seemed to work.
Jacinta, United Kingdom
22 September, 2009
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Add an egg to the honey and see for yourself if the egg content thickens as though it has been heated.
Wong Shew Choong, Malaysia
14 September, 2009
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Take a glass of water & take honey into one tablespoon & drop it into water. If it is pure honey then honey lump will be settled at bottom of galss, if it is not pure it will start mixing with water.Generally, jiggery sugar mixed in honey will start mixing in water.
This test can be done at home easily or at place of purchase.
Ashok Singh, India
5 September, 2009
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If you pour pure honey into a glass of water, it will not be disturbed untill it settles to the base. Others will be disturbed before reaching the base of glass.
Naser Sanaei Sabzevary, Iran
29 August, 2009
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Try pour a honey on a slice of bread. if pure honey, the bread will hardening like a toast. if adulterated honey, the bread will soak because of the excess of water.
Azizul Wahab, Malaysia
22 August, 2009
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Test of pure honey: Dip a 100 Rupees note in honey. Now ignite the 100 Rupee note with fire. You will notice, the note doesn't burn at all, only the honey burns, and the note stays unharmed and unburnt!!! That's the test of pure honey. You will see honey sellers in villages of Madhya Pradesh, India, use this method as purity proof of honey.
Raine Claire, India
8 August, 2009
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Take a matchstick, dip the tip in honey and strike it to light. Pure honey will light the match and the light will burn the honey. My understanding of this test is that syrups or honey adulterated with water will moisten the tip of the matchstick thus getting it wet making it unable to light and burn.
Langga, The Philippines
4 August, 2009
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I would like to say that tests with using spoon over 8 inches and finger dipping and letting it fall, even though the honey becomes thin as thread are not true...I tested that method for many years on many honeys and I can definitely say that is not true method...I agree with iodine solution, but when corn syrup is in game...But normally I prefer to mention water and honey - the way honey behaves in water unlike sugar -it is a good method...
Jenny, Bosnia and Herzegovina
24 June, 2009
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I notice nobody does a test using egg. Try this. Pour the honey into a bowl with egg yolk in it(without the egg white).
Stir them together. Stir it long enough so that they mix well together. After a while, you will notice that the egg yolk turns into some cottage form of egg. If it's real honey, it seems like the egg is a bit cooked. If it's not,it doesn't have any effect on the egg yolk.
Pearl, Singapore
22 June, 2009
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I have found that pure honey does not leave a strong, unpleasant aftertaste like adulterated honey. I do the "string" test where I dip a spoon in the honey and raise it about 8 inches (or more). If it comes down in a steady, thin stream, it is likely pure. Then I taste it to see if there is an unpleasant aftertaste. Sugar seems to leave a fermented-like taste in my mouth, as does corn syrup.
Carla, United States
25 May, 2009
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Bees naturally build the combs between the stones and on the trees, and to protect the honey from insects, ants and others they add an additive to honey.
This is the reason why ants will not hover around pure honey.
Mohammad, Iran
28 April, 2009
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I have used the following method. Pour the some honey from a bottle with a narrow neck into a cup from 30 to 40 cm above the cup. If the honey forms a thin line without an interruption, then the honey is very likely to free of adulteration.
Rocky Zaiter, United States
20 April, 2009
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Pure honey is somewhat transparent, and will retain its original taste after many years. These are indications for differentiation.
Samrat Chattopadhyay, Inida
18 April, 2009
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Take the bowl of honey and put it into the freezer, if honey is pure it will not become ice and the one that is not pure will become ice.
Ahmal, Tanzania
17 Mar, 2009
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I had just heard about a test - take some honey on the ending side of paper and make fire on it, if it's pure then it will burn.
NV Matt, Bangladesh
21 Feb, 2009
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I have recently bought honey at the market in Mexico City which I am sure is adulterated. The reason I am sure is because:
1. The honey does not become more viscous or crystalize when it is at a low temperature (about 60F or less).
2. When boiled it does not caramelize as readily as real honey. I regularly boil honey when making granola and my honey oil mixture generally bubbles and rises in the pot quite quickly. This honey boiled for several minutes without ever becoming foamy or threatening to overflow the pot.
3. The flavor is weak and less sweet than normal honey.
Sherri Biegeleisen, Mexico
15 Feb, 2009
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I was ever told that pure honey doesn't get frozen or solidified in the freezer.
Johnny Lau, Malaysia
6 Feb, 2009
Ruth: Yes, honey freezes in the freezer. In fact, for long term storage, it's the preferred way of storing.
Without proper storage at room temperature, honey tend to lose its quality after some time especially in hot climate like Singapore and Malaysia.
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| I noticed your info concerning corn starch mixed with nature's finest. I did some quick researching and I believe an iodine solution may be your detection mechanism for the starch. Combination of the two turns gray according to articles I found on the internet.
Larry, United States
30 Jan, 2009
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| Put your finger in the honey and raise your finger high about 18" or so. If the honey is good, it shouldn't break, although it gets very thin (like a thread). If it's not pure, it will keep breaking and doesn't follow your finger. Try it.
Rahim, Canada
22 Jan, 2009
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| I have a very old traditional method of testing honey , done mostly by tribals.
Catch a housefly in your hands, and then dip it into the honey and leave it. If it is pure honey , the housefly will come out of the honey safe and will fly away. While if it is adultrated she may either die or have herself glued in the syrup, but definitely cannot fly away.
Deepti, India
3 Aug, 2008
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End of "How to Test for Pure Honey". Back to "What's Considered Good Quality Honey".
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