Honey is one of natures most incredible products. Its health benefits are worldly known and it has been used for centuries both medicinally and in food. Its delicious taste has been?savored?by kids and adults alike. It is an expensive luxury ingredient in many homes.
Due to its price, people often purchase the cheapest they can find in the supermarket, or the ones with the most misleading advertisements. Even the one in the best-looking, most dazzling container. Often, when the substandard, lower price product is sold, you’d be surprised to know that its not actually pure honey that you’re buying.
In order to lower the price, the chemical make-up of honey is often subjected to numerous alterations.
A public research study conducted by the Food Safety News provided a rather alarming find concerning honey. They have discovered that up to 76% of all types of it in supermarkets have been subjected to a process called ultra filtration.
This ?filtration process removes impurities like wax traces, but also the pollen as well.
The producers say that this process is needed in order to prevent ?crystallizing and to prolong the shelf life of the product and”. Little do the consumers know that pollen is extremely important and beneficial to our bodies.
According to these researchers, the main reason to avoid products that have been treated by this process is the inability to determine the geographical origin of the honey, as in cases of pollen contamination, the origin needs to be analyzed and traced.
Product from China is one such example. It is often contaminated with illegal antibiotics and some metals, since producers process honey in this way ?in order to import it, and its origin is unknown.
Apparently, adulterated honey is often sold in the supermarkets, so you should learn how to recognize it: If it does not ?crystallize? over time, there is a good chance it may be adulterated, since the pure one will crystallize when kept in the fridge.?Always read the labels: Always read the label, and if it contains commercial glucose or high fructose corn syrup, avoid it.
- Add a few iodine drops into a glass of water and add in some honey afterwards. If it turns a blue color it has been combined with corn starch.
- Add a couple of drops of vinegar into a mixture of water with honey. If you see foam, your honey has been adulterated with plaster.
- Burn the honey with phosphorus or a match, and if it ignites, it is pure honey.
- Place a spoon of honey into a glass of water. In case the honey does not dissolve, it is pure.?Fake or poor-quality honey dissolves in water due to the high adulteration.
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