Ever wonder what makes honey stay smooth, crystallize, or change color? According to Bob Binnie of Blue Ridge Honey Company in northeast Georgia, there’s much more chemistry inside that golden jar than most people realize. The chemistry determines how honey should be stored, labeled, and enjoyed.
“Honey is extremely complex,” Binnie explains. “In research studies, they found over 180 compounds, elements in honey. Some seem bizarre. Some seem obvious.”
Those compounds, he says, are what give honey its unique flavor, aroma, and even medicinal qualities. Bees naturally introduce enzymes into nectar as it ripens, creating a food with antimicrobial properties and health benefits for both bees and humans. But preserving those qualities takes care.
“Heat is the worst offender,” Binnie says. “If honey has not been overheated, the yeast in it will be alive.”
However, honey can ferment if the moisture content gets too high. Honey is hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs moisture from the air, and too much humidity or heat can cause it to thin, ferment, or lose its beneficial enzymes.
Binnie recommends storing honey in glass or PET plastic containers and keeping it as cool as possible, even frozen if you want it to last for years. When adding honey to coffee or tea, wait until it’s cool enough to drink. Otherwise, high temperatures can damage those same enzymes that make honey so special.
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