Honey, which is a staple food in many homes, offers many benefits for health and skin care.
From sugar substitutes to blends in hair masks and face packs – it is widely used for everyday needs.
Therefore, if you use honey, you should also notice that after a while it turns into a crystalline or semi-solid state.
What comes to your mind when you see honey turning into a crystal? Most people reject it as fake and adulterated, but it is not so!
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has said that ‘crystallization of honey’ is in fact a natural process and not a sign of contamination or spoilage.
“Crystallization of honey is a natural phenomenon. Therefore, crystalline honey does not need to be ‘contaminated’ or ‘spoiled’.
According to FSSAI standards, the consistency of honey can be liquid, viscous, or partially crystalline.
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Why does honey crystallize?
Honey can crystallize for many reasons. The ‘primary’ is the fructose / glucose ratio. It is basically a ‘supersaturated solution’ of two sugars, glucose and fructose.
When fructose is dissolve, glucose has a low solubility which leads to its crystallization. As the amount of glucose in honey increases, it becomes insoluble in water.
Other factors such as storage temperature and how honey is process can also lead to crystallization.
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How to check the admixture?
Although crystallized honey has no signs of adulteration, it is common practice to mix honey with sugar. If you are wondering how to detect the presence of sugar, do this simple test shared by FSSAI.
* Take a little water in a glass.
* Add 2-3 drops of honey in it.
* Pure honey is insoluble in water and can be soak underneath.
* Contaminated honey is soluble in water.