The honey is a delicious ingredient that has many benefits and works to treat multiple diseases. It is one of the foods with more benefits in the natural world. However, it sometimes gets a little costly.
It is common to be tempted to buy the cheapest honey from the gondola at the supermarket. Or you believe in misleading advertisers, or get carried away by the sympathetic bear plastic container. However, all these features do not guarantee that the honey is pure. Altering this food is the way to reduce costs. Next time you have doubts about which one to buy, remember that cheap honey is not the best option.
“No” to the ultra filtration
Food Safety News conducted a market and public research, making an alarming result for all lovers of the honey. 76% of all honeys presented in supermarkets, has been treated by one process called ultra filtration. This form of filtration, not only eliminates impurities such as traces of wax, but also eliminates all the pollen.
Manufacturers claim that the ultra filtration is necessary to improve the useful life of the product and prevent “sweeten”. However, those who like to eat honey very often, know that pollen is very beneficial to the body.
The study in question, says that the main reason to avoid ultra filtered honeys is because it is not possible to determine the geographical origin of the honey. If there are risks of contamination through pollen the origin is traced and analysed. An example of this is the Chinese honey: Chinese producers ultra filtered the honey to import it and the source is not crawled, so this honey is often contaminated by metals and illegal antibiotics.
Brands and businesses to consider
- Honey Winnie the Pooh which is sold in Walmart, does not have pollen.
- Individual packages of KFC and McDonald honey do not have pollen.
- 77% of the honey Costco, Sam’s Club and Target sell do not have pollen.
- Honeys that Walgreen’s and CVS Pharmacy sell do not have pollen.
Adulterated honeys
Other factors have to be considered. Many packaged honeys are a product of a mixture of honey with glucose, or honeys with high content of mead of poor quality. The ones not found in their purest state are considered adulterated honey.
To know when honey has been adulterated, you can carry out the tasks detailed below:
- Read the labels: The following ingredients should not appear: high fructose corn syrup or commercial glucose.
- If you have already bought honey and it is not “sweeten” with the passage of time, your honey may have been adulterated. Pure honey solidifies over time or when in the refrigerator. If you do not want to take this risk, you can buy solidified honey.
- If you dip a spoonful of honey in a glass of water, it should not be dissolved. Honey dissolved in water has high moisture content, therefore it is adulterated or of a poor quality.
- If in that glass of water with honey, you add a few drops of vinegar and you mix them, a foam is formed, this honey is adulterated with plaster.
- If you want to know if the honey is pure, burn it with a match or phosphorus. If the honey lights, it is pure honey.
- If you have iodine in your home, mix a few drops of a glass with water and add some honey. If the liquid turns blue, the honey is adulterated with starch or flour.
