Table of Contents
ingredients
Depending on the type of honey, real honey consists of a mixture of different types of sugar such as fructose, glucose, sucrose and maltose. Overall, that’s around 80 percent. There is also about 17 percent water and 3 percent nutrients and flavorings. Small amounts of B and C vitamins, calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, copper, zinc and manganese are found in honey. The aromatic substances come from the plant, which are carried into the honey with the nectar.
1. Pure honey vs. blended honey
Single source honey is always a better choice than blended honey. Conventional honey from the supermarket is often blended or cut and is often labeled “EU and non-EU”. This declaration means that the honey could come from any country. Only tests in the laboratory then show from which region of the earth the honey comes. When collecting nectar, bees usually fly to other flowers as well. These pollen are detected in small amounts in the honey and thus provide information about its origin. The Stiftung Warentest also criticized the confusion in its honey test at the beginning of 2019.
Pure, natural honey
Natural honey is bottled by the beekeeper directly from the centrifuged honeycomb. Depending on the variety, the honey is liquid or creamy. If left to stand for a long time, it can crystallize and acquire a firm consistency.
Industrial honey
This honey is mixed from different honeys. The mixture is heated and stirred until a homogeneous and spreadable mass is obtained. The ingredients, freshness and naturalness are lost.
2. The label
Although the label does not reveal anything about the content, you can still tell whether it is real or processed honey. The latter is made clear by the designation “From EU and non-EU countries”. A natural or regional honey usually has a seal of quality with the name and address of the beekeeper. The German Beekeepers Association has therefore set higher standards for honey from Germany than the EU regulation for Europe. “Real German honey” can only appear on the label if it comes exclusively from Germany, has not been added to or removed from it and has not been heat-treated.
3. The packaging
Honey that is bottled in jars is often a higher quality honey than one that comes in a dispenser pack. Plastic packaging can release substances into the honey and thus distort the taste. It is therefore better to buy honey in a jar. This is tasteless and does not react with the content. Some beekeepers even take back their honey jars to save resources and produce less waste.
4. The consistency
Basically, all types of honey are liquid when harvested. Depending on the composition, temperature and storage time, they crystallize at different speeds. For a creamy consistency, the honey is stirred by the beekeeper during the crystallization process and then bottled. In industry, heat treatment is often used to permanently prevent crystallization, so that the paintability is maintained for longer and durability is increased.
Buy honey from the beekeeper
Finding a beekeeper nearby is often not easy. In villages and small towns, honey is still often sold on the street or there is a sign hanging on the garden fence. For all city dwellers who would like to buy regional honey, there are three options:
- On imkerhonig.org is an interactive map with apiaries. These include small beekeepers without their own website.
- Makes it easier to find Imerkn who sell honey directly. It is possible to order there.
- You can also find beekeepers in your area on nearBees . You can also sponsor a bee there and, in cooperation with a beekeeper, give a colony of bees a new home.
