Honey in our country is traditionally referred to as medicinal products. Only positive results are expected from its use – improvement of well-being, getting rid of vitamin deficiency, problems with the stomach and intestines, and the cardiovascular system.
Can honey be poisoned if it turns out to be of poor quality? Unfortunately, such a possibility exists.
The content of the article
- 1 What is the danger?
- 1.1 Counterfeit (counterfeit)
- 1.2 Violation of pumping and storage conditions
- 1.3 Environmentally hazardous areas
- 1.4 Poisonous plants
- 2 Safety measures
- 3 Fermentation
- 4 Layering
- 5 Candying
- 6 About old age
- 7 Darkening
What is the danger?
Low-quality medical product in most cases is a consequence of market relations. A manufacturer or reseller is chasing financial gain, not disdaining falsification and other violations of the conditions for collecting nectar, its storage, transportation.
Counterfeit (counterfeit)
Counterfeit honey cannot be considered a useful product. At its best, it is processed sugar. At worst, an incomprehensible mixture with the addition of various impurities such as starch and even sawdust.
Counterfeit can be determined at home by buying a small portion of honey. It is important to check with the seller the document issued by the laboratory and confirming the quality of the product.
To read:
How to determine the natural origin of honey at home
What is fake (fake or artificial) honey
Violation of pumping and storage conditions
The second reason for the poor quality is the flaws of the beekeepers. Due to the large volumes, apiary owners are in a hurry to pump the nectar out of the honeycomb before it ripens (unsealed, when the product contains too much moisture). Also, such a rush can be caused not only by an oversight, but also by the desire to sell the product at a bargain price.
Another common mistake of manufacturers and sellers is improper storage and transportation of medical products. The most common flaws:
- non-observance of the temperature regime during storage;
- non-observance of temperatures during forced heating of a sugared product, for example, when packing it;
- the use of hazardous or low-quality containers made of unenamelled metal, galvanized, copper (during a chemical reaction, the honey product is impregnated with poisonous salts).
To read:
How much and in what conditions is honey stored
Crystallization (sugaring) of natural bee honey
About proper heating (melting) of candied honey
Environmentally hazardous areas
The third reason why honey can harm the human body is the use of a low-quality honey base.
In areas with a high content of toxic elements, their accumulation (concentration) occurs in the nectar collected by bees.
Such hazardous substances are not always detected by routine laboratory analysis! After all, it is unrealistic to check everything in a laboratory – there are too many dangerous substances in the modern environment.
The most harmful impurities include:
- lead;
- pesticides;
- radioactive substances.
You can only protect yourself by purchasing bee products from apiaries located in prosperous areas – in the distance:
- from polygons;
- from areas near the chemical industry;
- from CHP;
- from large airfields;
- from busy highways (plants near roads also contain hazardous substances).
Fields are unsafe during treatment with pesticides and other agricultural products. Moreover, bees can bring contaminated nectar without the knowledge of the apiary owner. Some of the insects die at the same time.
Poisonous plants
In some areas, bee colonies work on plants that release nectar mixed with toxic substances. Often, such honey is not dangerous for the honey workers themselves.
But in a person, he causes all the signs of poisoning:
- nausea;
- vomiting;
- diarrhea;
- breathing problems;
- dizziness;
- headache;
- increased sweating;
- muscle and joint pain.
Read: Poisonous melliferous plants
The only way to be safe is to do a pet test. For example, giving a teaspoon of honey to a cat or dog.
Caution should be observed in areas of mass growth of wolfberry, wild rosemary, rhododendron, hellebore, aconite.
Safety measures
Listed below are small rules, following which you can reduce the likelihood of consuming low-quality bee products. But remember that, alas, even a laboratory will not give a XNUMX% guarantee of safety.
Rule one. Verification of documents.
This (for Russia):
- apiary passport;
- veterinary certificate (form two);
- veterinary certificate (form four);
- the conclusion of the laboratory, obtained during the veterinary and sanitary examination on the market.
All of these documents help to determine the time and place of honey collection, as well as the safety of the final product.
The second rule. Purchase of large batches of medical products… For such batches, expensive analyzes are carried out on the market to determine the chemical, physical and biochemical characteristics of the product. Unfortunately, this feature is not available for retail and small-scale wholesalers.
Fermentation
The loss of appearance of the honey product indicates its deterioration or loss of taste. These signs include:
- its stratification (fructose appears in the upper layers in a liquid form);
- the appearance of signs of fermentation – sour smell, bubbles on the surface.
When asked if it is possible to eat fermented honey, the answer is unequivocal – it is impossible. It is tasteless and unsafe, because yeast actively reproduces in the product.
Why honey fermented and whether it is possible to eat it is quite simple to determine. An excess of moisture leads to difficulties during storage. Already when the temperature rises above 11 degrees Celsius, yeast fungi are activated. There is only one reason – the nectar was pumped out of the honeycomb in an immature state.
The highest quality honey product is obtained if it is kept in hives until the end of the summer season. The frames in this case are 100% sealed. A jump is also permissible when the honeycomb is partially sealed by bees by 50-70%. This means that under the influence of enzymes secreted by the bee glands, the nectar has matured – its water content is below 21%.
The second reason for fermentation is unclean or poor-quality containers, storage in damp rooms. But the main reason is the same – it is an excess of moisture. It is the water that starts the fermentation process.
If the taste, smell, appearance has changed, you should not use honey!
Layering
Stratification of a honey product is not always dangerous… It can also happen for quite natural reasons:
- the ratio of fructose to sucrose is approximately equal;
- the types of nectar brought by bees (from different plants) are poorly combined in the final product – this is the so-called “misgrading”.
Also, the reason may be improper storage, heating at temperatures above 40 degrees, early pumping out of the honeycomb (when sealing less than 50-70 percent of the cells).
Incorrect storage means non-compliance with the temperature and humidity level in the room. Temperatures above 18 degrees and high humidity just lead to the appearance of layers.
Unripe nectar is also poorly stored. After stratification, fermentation may begin, or both processes will occur simultaneously.
The most dangerous reason for delamination is falsification of a natural product.… It must be excluded by laboratory means or by quality control at home (link to test methods is given above). Such a product must not be eaten!
It is undesirable to use even with prolonged heating above 40 degrees… The bee product loses most of its medicinal properties, the content of oxymethylfurfural increases in it. This substance is capable of inhibiting the human nervous system, and in high doses, it can cause paralysis.
In other cases (immaturity, natural causes of stratification), the honey product can be eaten. Of course, not everyone will like its taste. But with natural causes of stratification and proper storage, it does not deteriorate for a long time, retaining its medicinal properties.
Important! Fermented or stratified honey product is quite suitable for baking and other culinary purposes, provided it is cooked. With stratification without signs of fermentation, honey can also be eaten fresh.
Candying
Crystallization or sugaring is a natural process that a honey product undergoes during storage. Sometimes sugaring occurs right in the combs. This is typical when obtaining nectar from cruciferous crops, rapeseed, sunflower.
Such honey is not suitable for bee wintering, but you can eat it.
Crystallization indicates a high glucose content. Varieties containing a large amount of fructose crystallize more slowly and hardly thicken.
Therefore, when asked whether it is possible to eat candied honey, the answer is yes. This product is tasty and healthy. And to exclude a fake, it is necessary to check its natural origin.
About old age
Natural bee products in combs can be stored for centuries and even millennia due to the presence of special biologically active components that suppress the reproduction of microorganisms and bacteria.
When pumped out and then properly stored, it also retains its healing properties for years. Old Believers specially treat their guests with aged honey. It is appreciated for its special taste and aroma.
You can eat old honey without any fear if it does not show signs of fermentation. This is the same beekeeping product as the recently pumped out honeycomb.
You can get poisoned with old honey if:
- it is a fake;
- it is a variety obtained from the nectar of poisonous plants;
- it is a product collected in an environmentally unfavorable region;
- errors were made during storage, for example, metal containers were used.
Most beekeepers are in solidarity in the opinion that a honey product is well stored for a year (until the new season) if it is downloaded in a ripe form..
The term “expired” is relevant only for products sold in stores. Here, labels are attached to jars of honey, on which the shelf life is necessarily indicated. According to GOST, this is one year for sealed containers, and for non-sealed containers – eight months.
Can expired honey be eaten? Yes, if it is a truly natural product.
Darkening
Long-term storage can lead to a loss of presentation – the appearance of a loose white foam on the surface or darkening. Such a product is not allowed for sale, as it looks unpresentable.
You can improve the color by passing the darkened bee product in liquid form through bleaching clay filters. But if we talk about the quality and benefits of use, it is impossible to answer the question of whether it is possible to eat old darkened honey.
Usually this color change is the result of improper storage.… There are several reasons for darkening:
- prolonged stay in a room at a temperature above 23 degrees (there is a loss of diastatic activity – in twenty months it will remain only 50% of the original indicator);
- storage in an aluminum container (the product is oxidized);
- prolonged heating at temperatures above 60 degrees.
All of these factors only worsen the chemical, physical, commercial, and taste characteristics. But it should be noted that often on beekeeping forums, such honey is not considered harmful. Of course, if we are not talking about heating or storing in an unsuitable container.
In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that honey can be harmful not only with its toxicity and deterioration. If a person has a food intolerance to this beekeeping product, there are contraindications (for example, acute inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, pregnancy, breastfeeding, childhood, diabetes mellitus), it is better to refuse to use it altogether. Either enter into the diet or use for treatment only after consulting a doctor.
