Crystallization of honey occurs due to high glucose content. If the product is natural and does not contain any additives, then by November it should change its structure - to become very dense. This process is natural, but not for all varieties. Many consumers prefer the liquid product, as it is more convenient to use for various purposes. Therefore, we suggest to find out what honey is not candied and why it happens.
Why do some varieties remain liquid?
Monosaccharides, which are part of honey, are the basis of the nutritional value of this product. Their part is quite large, so honey gradually begins to be sugared. But some varieties can retain their original structure for a long time, remaining liquid and not changing their pleasant amber hue. So why does honey not thicken? There may be several reasons for this.
- Monosaccharides are a combination of two simple sugars - fruit and grape. When the amount of the first type of sugar - fructose, begins to predominate, then the product loses its ability to crystallize.
- To quickly get nectar, some beekeepers feed bees with ordinary sugar syrup. Such artificial feeding leads to the fact that the saliva of the insect, when combined with beet sugar, turns into a poor-quality product. This surrogate can keep a liquid consistency for a long time.
- Honey that has been heat treated, loses not only its nutritional value, but also the ability to crystallize. An overheated product often has a dark shade and is not capable of providing a therapeutic effect.
- A high percentage of water does not allow sugar to be sugar-coated. This is often due to improper storage of the beekeeping product. When certain technologies are violated, it begins to absorb moisture, is saturated with it and loses the ability to thicken.
- Permanent stirring of the product can affect the crystallization process. Sellers quite often use this technique to preserve the presentation of honey.
- If natural nectar is dissolved with sugar syrup, it will become more liquid. And this is another way that allows implementers to make their goods more "attractive."
Tip! Choose honey carefully and remember that liquid is not necessarily quality. Dilute or overheated product completely loses all its healing properties.
Liquid grades
The speed of the crystallization process is directly related to the type of honey. The variety will depend on the plant, from which the bees extract pollen. In any case, the composition will be mixed, but always the percentage of the content of a particular nectar will prevail. It depends on its name, properties and speed of subsidence of sweetness.
Now it is worthwhile to talk about what kind of honey does not crystallize, or rather, it differs too slow sugaring process:
- linden;
- Greek;
- chestnut;
- acacia;
- May.
Lime
Lime honey refers to white fine grained varieties. He has long been able to maintain its liquid consistency - about 3 months. It is viscous and moderately viscous. It is from this that the speed of subsidence of sweetness will depend.
After the crystallization process, lime honey becomes like a thick mush. Large crystals are not formed. After a while, you can notice the stratification of the product into two substances - the upper layer will be more liquid, the lower one - thick. But it will never become hard.
Greek
By name it is easy to determine the homeland of this beekeeping product. Greece with its pristine nature and clean ecology gave a unique grade of honey, which is considered the cleanest. This product tourists often bring as a gift to their loved ones. What is the reason for the high quality of this variety? First of all, the fact that it is not collected from flowers, but from insects that feed on the juice of various plants.
- The famous pade or pine honey, if it was absolutely pure and did not contain impurities, it was never sugared at all. But unfortunately, it is impossible to get such a product, because on the way of bees there are always flowering plants that attract their fragrant nectar. Therefore, the sweetness in it still settles, but very slowly.
- Thyme honey is obtained from the inflorescence of thyme. Only six months after its pumping out, one can see the beginning of the crystallization process. In the liquid state, it will remain about a year and a half.
The collection of Greek honey occurs until late autumn, and in favorable weather conditions and in winter. That is why he does not manage to shrink by November, which often happens with beekeeping products pumped out in the climatic conditions of Russia.
Chestnut
Chestnut honey differs in dark shade and has a viscous structure. Crystallization takes about a year and a half. During this process honey becomes like brown jelly, and small crystalline impregnations resemble gelatinous granules. These crystals will eventually increase. Sometimes product stratification may occur, but this will not affect its quality. Details about the characteristics of this variety you can find from the article: Honey, harvested from chestnut, treats no worse than a medieval shaman.
May
This sort of nectar is pumped out in spring and early summer. Pollen bees begin to collect in March and April, visiting the first plants, honey-plants, among which: apple, cherry, bird cherry and lily of the valley.
. This variety is characterized by a high content of fructose, which is responsible for its ability to maintain a liquid consistency for a long time. May honey is very high in calories, quickly absorbed, without violating the functions of the pancreas.
Tip! The May variety is recommended for people with diabetes.
Acquire it best in the fall, when the crystallization process has already begun. So you will protect yourself from buying counterfeit, after all, May honey is often falsified, giving it away as a natural product.
Acacia
The aromatic acacia nectar refers, like the Greek, to white fine grained varieties. Why does this honey not crystallize for a long time? This feature is due to the high content of liquid, as well as fructose( 40%) and glucose( 35%).Immediately after pumping it resembles a syrup and remains in this form for about two years. The sugaring process makes it light enough.
Important! The consistency of honey is not a sign of its quality and it can not be established without special verification.
In nature, there are a variety of varieties - some can remain liquid for a long time, others quickly crystallize. Perhaps, the main criterion in the choice may be the season in which you buy honey. Remember that in winter and in the first spring month, a natural product can not have a uniform liquid structure. The crystallization process should be viewed at least to a small extent. Pay attention to the bottom of the vessel, that's where the first deposit should appear.