Natural bee honey, like any other food product, requires special storage conditions. They are observed to avoid spoilage and loss of nutritional value. An especially interesting question is whether it is possible to store honey in the refrigerator, and is there any sense in this method.
The content of the article
- 1 Optimal temperature
- 2 Why do you need a refrigerator
- 2.1 Aftermath
- 3 About freezing
- 3.1 Points for and against
Optimal temperature
For a honey product, the optimal storage temperature is from +5 to +10 degrees.… Under such conditions, it does not lose its chemical properties, taste, aroma for a year or more.
With an increase in temperature above +10, there is a risk of acidification, especially with high humidity in the room and long-term storage.
At the optimum temperature, the crystallization process gradually takes place. In about one and a half or two months, the honey product:
- thickens and becomes a little cloudy;
- in it, depending on the type, small or large crystals are formed;
- the appearance changes – color, consistency (it becomes grainy or resembling fat).
If sugarcoating occurs quickly, the variety contains a lot of glucose. And if the honey product remains liquid for a long time, it contains an excess of fructose. Both states are absolute norm.
Why do you need a refrigerator
Does it make sense to place honey containers in the refrigerator?
At first, a large batch of product in this way cannot be stored at home.
Secondly, there is sense in such storage if there are no more suitable places in the house (for example, a dry and cool pantry, a glacier). But the volume of the product will be small.
Room temperature adversely affects the quality of honey. Of course, it does not deteriorate quickly if it is ripe (contains no more than 20% moisture). But the risk of fermentation still increases.
Usually, the honey product is brought into the room for a short time in order to achieve its liquefaction. At elevated temperatures, the crystals gradually dissolve – the product acquires its original consistency. It can be poured from one container to another without resorting to a steam bath.
Is it possible to store honey in the refrigerator – expert opinion:
In the German edition of DBJ from No. 9/08 Helmut Horn states that the cold storage is a great way to store honey for decades without changing its chemical composition. Besides the refrigerator, you can use a glacier.
What is the essence of this method? There are quality standards or GOSTs. They measure two important parameters:
- the level of oxymethylfurfural (in the same Germany, this is an indicator from 15 to 40 milligrams per kilogram of a honey product);
- the level of diastase and invertase – an enzyme capable of degrading polysaccharides.
Both parameters help to determine the natural origin of the honey product and its freshness, quality.
With prolonged storage and high temperatures, the activity of the enzyme is noticeably reduced (polysaccharides are degraded faster). From which we can conclude that lower temperatures prevent fermentation and this makes the product of higher quality.
Also, during long-term storage and elevated air temperature (or improper heating of the honey product), oxymethylfurfural is formed. Freshly pumped honey does not contain this chemical component. It appears only in the process of long and improper storage, improper heating. That is, storage at low temperatures slows down the chemical reaction – the recommended level of POM will be reached within a few years. The product will retain its quality for a long time.
Aftermath
Please note that honey should be in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed containerto:
- a) the smell has not changed;
- b) dirt and moisture did not get in.
As a result, we get the product:
- containing the normative amount of oxymethylfurfural;
- containing enzymes in an active state;
- remains thick, despite the increased moisture content in it (important for storing slightly unripe honey);
- not crystallizing (the process slows down or stops completely);
- retaining the original quality and chemical composition for many months.
About freezing
Another interesting question, which equally worries consumers and producers, is it possible to freeze honey?
It is known that the chemical processes occurring in the honey product slow down in the cold (which does not lead to a loss of quality!). This is especially noticeable at temperatures below zero degrees. That is, we are not talking about a refrigerator, but about a freezer or storage on a balcony, loggia in severe frosts.
Deep frozen:
- the volume is reduced by 10%;
- crystallization slows down (cage).
From the practice… At 16% humidity of freshly pumped herbs, freezing occurs at 18 degrees (in the freezer). The product looks like glass. After thawing, it crystallizes in about a week.
Points for and against
Assessing the safety of freezing, let us turn to some facts.
The behavior of the bees themselves in hives or hollows, decks is interesting. They do not heat the stern frames or tongues outside the club, despite the freezing winters. The same feed is used later for the development of families. That is, in theory, honey does not lose its characteristics.
It is also noteworthy that in the old days in the villages the frames were kept in cold hallways in winter at temperatures outside of -40 degrees. Even now, such storage is used in the northern regions. According to reviews, honey, after defrosting, retains its aroma, the same taste and even a liquid state.
But in the old GOSTs of the times of the Soviet Union, the lower limit for storage is indicated – minus 5 degrees Celsius… By the way, in terms of temperature storage conditions, the new edition of the Ukrainian GOST corresponds to the Soviet edition. A logical conclusion follows from this – lower temperatures lead to a loss or change in chemical characteristics at the molecular level. Such a product has not been recommended and is not recommended for human consumption.
If we draw an analogy with instantly frozen (the so-called shock freezing) fruits and vegetables, we get another interesting fact. They are believed to keep most of the vitamins intact.
But with honey, the same technique at home is difficult to produce. In the freezer, it will not freeze instantly, even at very low temperatures. And the concept of “partial preservation of vitamins” causes great concern, since honey is not only a delicacy, but also a remedy.
It is not known for certain what quality the bee product will turn out to be after such unconventional storage, since no one has carried out the corresponding research.
Read on the topic: How much and in what conditions is honey stored
The conclusions are as follows. Refrigerated storage is fine. But freezing at temperatures below -4 … -5 degrees Celsius is undesirable (there is no scientifically substantiated evidence in favor of such storage).
