TRICKS ON HOW TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN ADULTERATED AND ORIGINAL HONEY: Bilal Olayanju OLUWATOBILOBA u13mm1175
Honey can be a wonderful supplement or alternative to your sugar which is just another source of empty calories. This lovely and natural ingredient made from Mother Nature does not only add sweetens your life but it also has an abundance of minerals, nutrients and living enzymes that is inherent in it. If you want to enjoy the importance of using honey, you must first of all consider its purity before buying. The biggest problem been faced with honey is its quality. It can be quite a challenge to find good, pure honey. Like many other food commodities, adulteration or fake is common. It is easy for you to be cheated as commercial honey can often be mixed with glucose solution, high fructose corn syrup and other ingredients which you may not be aware of as a consumer. Often times, when you open the jar of honey and hear a little 'pop' sound that could signal that the honey has been mixed or tampered with as some fermentation process may have take place inside it.
According to Mr. Abdulyakeen Olorunsogo a specialist in honey production said that “The best quality of honey comes from bees and not factories and so, a good starting point in ascertain the authenticity of the honey would be to read the ingredient label. Look out for words like 'raw', 'natural', 'forest honey' or 'organic' - they may be safer than regular honey. But, since food regulations remain a bit dodgy, you can never be too sure and this may not be a foolproof way. So, can you really tell the difference between real and fake honey? To know the truth, test it at home. Here are some easy tricks to check its purity and ways to spot adulterated honey.” 1. The Thumb Test Place a small amount of honey on your thumb and check if spills or spreads around like any other liquid. If it does, it may not be pure. Pure honey is thick while impure honey will be runny. Pure honey sticks to the surface it is applied to and doesn't drip away. Moreover, the taste of impure honey may linger due to the presence of added sugar. 2. The Water Test Take a teaspoon of the honey and put in a glass full of water. Fake or adulterated honey will dissolve in the water while pure honey which has a more dense texture will settle right at the bottom of the glass as lumps. The same is the case with blotting paper or a white cloth. If you pour pure honey on the two, it will not get absorbed or leave stains. 3. The Flame Test you may not have known this, but pure honey is inflammable. Although, it would be advised that you observe utmost caution while performing this test and do it at your own risk. Take a dry matchstick and dip it in honey. Strike the matchstick against the matchbox. If it lights, your honey is pure. If it doesn't light, it may be adulterated and may also contain some amount of moisture added while contamination. 4. Use vinegar Mix a tablespoon of honey, some water and 2-3 drops of vinegar essence together. If this mixture foams up, there's a very high chance that your honey may be adulterated. 5. The Heat Test If you heat pure honey, it will caramelize quickly and not become foamy. But, in case of impure honey it may not caramelize and become bubbly on heating. A lot of the differences between pure and adulterated honey can also be identified just with the naked eye by examining its physical properties. Pure honey is dense and trickles only into a stream. It has a soft texture, will never separate into layers and offers a distinct sweet aroma. Raw honey, which is honey in its purest form, often leaves a slight tingling feeling or a mild burning sensation in your throat when consumed.
According to Mr. Abdulyakeen Olorunsogo a specialist in honey production said that “The best quality of honey comes from bees and not factories and so, a good starting point in ascertain the authenticity of the honey would be to read the ingredient label. Look out for words like 'raw', 'natural', 'forest honey' or 'organic' - they may be safer than regular honey. But, since food regulations remain a bit dodgy, you can never be too sure and this may not be a foolproof way. So, can you really tell the difference between real and fake honey? To know the truth, test it at home. Here are some easy tricks to check its purity and ways to spot adulterated honey.” 1. The Thumb Test Place a small amount of honey on your thumb and check if spills or spreads around like any other liquid. If it does, it may not be pure. Pure honey is thick while impure honey will be runny. Pure honey sticks to the surface it is applied to and doesn't drip away. Moreover, the taste of impure honey may linger due to the presence of added sugar. 2. The Water Test Take a teaspoon of the honey and put in a glass full of water. Fake or adulterated honey will dissolve in the water while pure honey which has a more dense texture will settle right at the bottom of the glass as lumps. The same is the case with blotting paper or a white cloth. If you pour pure honey on the two, it will not get absorbed or leave stains. 3. The Flame Test you may not have known this, but pure honey is inflammable. Although, it would be advised that you observe utmost caution while performing this test and do it at your own risk. Take a dry matchstick and dip it in honey. Strike the matchstick against the matchbox. If it lights, your honey is pure. If it doesn't light, it may be adulterated and may also contain some amount of moisture added while contamination. 4. Use vinegar Mix a tablespoon of honey, some water and 2-3 drops of vinegar essence together. If this mixture foams up, there's a very high chance that your honey may be adulterated. 5. The Heat Test If you heat pure honey, it will caramelize quickly and not become foamy. But, in case of impure honey it may not caramelize and become bubbly on heating. A lot of the differences between pure and adulterated honey can also be identified just with the naked eye by examining its physical properties. Pure honey is dense and trickles only into a stream. It has a soft texture, will never separate into layers and offers a distinct sweet aroma. Raw honey, which is honey in its purest form, often leaves a slight tingling feeling or a mild burning sensation in your throat when consumed.
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