Natural honey can be liquid or crystallized. Crystallization is a natural process that does not deprive honey of its beneficial properties, but the more fructose it contains, the slower it crystallizes.
It is quite easy to recognize fake honey. It is enough to add a drop of iodine to a small amount. If the honey turns blue, it means that it contains starch, which is used by unscrupulous producers to concentrate it. There are also cases when sellers melt last year’s honey to present it as new. In this case, the useful properties are lost, carcinogenic oxymethylfurfurol is formed.
Elena Saratsyan, Deputy Head of Roskachestvo, noted. “According to European legislation, the presence of 40 milligrams of oxymethylfurfurol in one kilogram of product is allowed.”
Honey should be stored in a cool, dark place at a temperature of not more than 20 degrees. The recommended shelf life is one year in a closed container, two years in an airtight container.
If the honey has an unpleasant sour taste, it means that the acidification process has begun. The taste of caramel indicates that it is overheated.
In addition, experts say that in many cases the honey of exotic species is fake.
