How to determine the authenticity of honey

The authenticity of honey can be determined by observing its color, testing its viscosity, checking its crystalline state, smelling its aroma, tasting its taste, and other methods. Natural honey usually has floral fragrance, slightly sour taste, and delicate crystallization, while adulterated honey may exhibit abnormal color, low viscosity, rough crystallization, or a single sweet taste.

1. Observing Color

The color of natural honey varies in depth depending on the source plant, such as the water white color of locust honey and amber color of jujube honey, but the overall translucency is uniform. Fake honey may have overly bright or cloudy colors, with visible suspended solids or layering when translucent. True honey may appear slightly cloudy under sunlight, while fake honey blended with syrup often has extremely high transparency.

2. Testing viscosity

True honey has a high viscosity, and when poured, the flow rate is slow and it can pull out slender honey strands. After the flow breaks, the honey strands rebound into beads. After inserting chopsticks into honey and lifting them vertically, the honey will form continuous fine threads. Fake honey mixed with syrup or water usually has a thin texture and is prone to breaking when poured, making it difficult to form long-lasting honey threads.

3. Check Crystallization

Most real honey will naturally crystallize at low temperatures, with soft and delicate crystal particles that are easy to melt when twisted by hand. The fake honey crystals mixed with white sugar are hard and rough, with a noticeable graininess and are not easily crushed. It should be noted that some honey varieties such as locust honey are not easy to crystallize, and cannot be judged as true or false solely based on this point.

4. Smell

True honey has the natural floral aroma of honey plants, and there are significant differences in the scent of different nectar. For example, lychee honey has a fruity aroma, while buckwheat honey has a slight medicinal fragrance. The false honey may be tasteless or only sweet with syrup. The smell of some false honey added with essence is pungent and unnatural, and the smell will dissipate quickly after being placed for a long time.

5. Taste

True honey has a sweet and mellow taste, with a slight spicy sensation in the throat and a slightly sour aftertaste that lasts for a long time. Fake honey has a single and brief sweet taste, which may present a bitter or bitter taste. Apply a small amount of honey to the back of your hand and rub it. True honey can be quickly absorbed by the skin, while fake honey will leave sticky sugar stains.

It is recommended to choose products from legitimate channels and check product testing reports when purchasing honey on a daily basis. Real honey is rich in enzymes, minerals and vitamins, but diabetes patients should control their intake. When storing, use glass containers to seal and avoid high temperatures and direct sunlight. If abnormal conditions such as fermentation or taste change are found in honey, consumption should be stopped immediately. By integrating multiple identification methods, the probability of purchasing adulterated honey can be effectively reduced.