By Dr. Bidemi Ojeleye
Welcome to today’s educative discussion on Tropicalbee honey!
Today, we are going to discuss what crystallized honey is all about and the factors determining the crystals to form, and how we can de-crystallize it.
Many of us might have come across crystallized honey whereby the honey forms small, small lumps looking like sugar deposits or additive(s).
Why does honey crystallize?
There are hundreds of different types and colors of honey from different ecological zones and botanic origins comprising varying degrees of sugar concentrations.
There are two main sugars in honey, these are *glucose* and *fructose.* And if you know the ratio of these two sugars, then you can tell how quickly some types of honey crystallize faster than others. We have found this to be true for many types of honey, both mono-flora and multi-flora honey.
Crystallization is much slower.
But why is this happening?
Well, the glucose in honey separates from the water and forms true crystals, while the fructose remains liquid. Glucose crystals are naturally pure white, and the crystals are lighter than the liquid part because crystallization causes the honey to flow thicker or slower.
The temperature at which honey is stored also affects crystallization. Warm storage prevents crystallization, while cool storage speeds up crystal formation.
You already know that different types of honey crystallize differently. Crystals come in all shapes and sizes. Crystallization can be the same or different, sometimes crystallization occurs in different layers of honey.
But the best part is that you can easily bring the honey back to its fully liquid state! All you have to do is heat these sugar molecules below 50 degrees Celsius to “recombine” them. Kindly note that any temperature above this will denature the active components in honey.
All you have to do is put some honey in a container, then place in a pot of hot water or put it in the microwave for a while! Once again you have all liquid honey. Keep in mind that the more often you do this, the less taste and aroma of honey.
If you don’t want to stress yourself on constant warming, you can scoop up the crystals directly and use them like that,
- Dr. Bidemi Ojeleye is the Founder/Coordinating Director of the Centre for Bee Research & Development (CEBRAD), and the Chief Servant of Tropicalbee Honey, Ile Ife, Osun State.
