How to distinguish natural honey from a fake? Of course, only a laboratory can give a definite answer. However, at home, you can check whether natural honey meets certain parameters.
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Instruction manual
1
After some time, natural honey is candied, crystallized. Crystallization of honey usually occurs a couple of months after collection, that is, approximately in October. Although some varieties of honey (honey from white acacia, mustard honey) are candied later. You can fake candied honey, but it is harder to do than simulate liquid honey. Therefore, be careful if you are offered to buy liquid honey in the winter. Perhaps this honey is natural, but previously melted. Sugaring does not affect the beneficial properties of honey, but heating significantly affects its quality.
2
Take a closer look at honey. The natural product contains discernible particles of pollen, wax, and sometimes even bee wings. If nothing of the kind is observed in honey, it is clearly falsified.
3
You can distinguish natural honey from a surrogate with a piece of a simple newspaper. Put a drop of honey on the paper and see what happens. If a drop spread over the surface and wetted the paper, then honey, although natural, but immature, in the worst case, is generally fake.
4
Counterfeit honey may contain various additives. Detecting them is easy. Add a few drops of iodine to the honey, if the iodine turns blue, it contains starch, which natural honey does not contain. Then stir a couple of tablespoons of honey in water and drip there vinegar essence. If the water "boils", that is, it begins to emit carbon dioxide, chalk is present in the honey. Finally, add a few drops of ammonia to a 50% honey solution. If the honey solution turned brown, and brown powder precipitated at the bottom of the glass, the honey is diluted with molasses.
5
Look for signs of natural honey like taste and smell. Natural honey is pleasant and astringent in taste, completely dissolved in the mouth, sometimes it burns a little and tingles the tongue and palate. Almost all varieties of honey have a pleasant smell; forged honey usually has no smell.
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