How to Test for 100% Pure Honey 2008 to 2010 Postings
2008 to 2010 Postings
Try this method to test for pure honey. Put some water in a clear bowl. Put some honey (about 1.5 - 2 teaspoon-use plastic spoon, metal will change honey) in the centre of the bowl. Hold the bowl and moving it anticlockwise continuously (movement of creating energy).
Pure honey will:
1. Not dissolve in water by that movement.2. Form pattern approximately like honey comb.
Try for several types of honey. You will be amazed.
Abd Halim Ibrahim, Malaysia
27 Dec, 2010
My grandma once told me that dogs don't like honey. If it were sugar syrup, or adulterated honey (mixed with some form of sugar), then the dogs would definitely lick it. Although I've never personally tried this, it might be one way of telling if the honey you buy is pure or not.
Vidhya, India
27 Dec, 2010
Part of the solution or part of the problem. Honey Adulteration: http://www.hivelights.ca/documents/2010%20November%20Hivelights_low%20res.pdf
John Beauchaine, United States
18 Dec, 2010
I just have compared honny that i was sure it was 100% pure with honny that i bought in bottle that i was sure it was not pure at all. i dropped few drops of my pure honny in a spoon and held it over flame, it rapidly started foaming and at the end the was just a small amount of burned residue left in bottom of the spoon. i did the same test with the unpure honny, as soon as it was heated it started smoking, it didn't foam and it smelled like burned suger/ candy. What was left in bottom of the spoon was greater amount of burned residue that was dark brown just like candy.
I am not sure about my method to be scientific but i believe it is a good and easy way to guess the purity of honny. good luck.
Kianoosh Ameri, Iran
9 Dec, 2010
Unfortunately, honey in a comb is no more of a guarantee of real honey. The tricksters devised a new way to cheat us: they immerse a piece of honeycomb 2 by 2 inch into glucose syrup and sell it with funny German name that nobody understands and the English info appears in miniature print only. The brand is called Asbal at least here in Ireland.
Mahdi, Ireland
2 Nov, 2010
I know a method for finding out if a kind of honey it it pure or not. Pure honey when poured is elastic.That means that when you stop pouring the honey is getting back to the container like a rubber band when released (no matter from what kind of plants the honey is coming). I know that from a beekeeper and that is the way I test when I buy honey from beekeepers. Is any sugar added, the honey will drop like water.
Mariana, Romania
1 Nov, 2010
Ruth: Judging the purity of honey based in its viscosity can be erroneous as weather conditions and floral variety can result in very runny (unadulterated) honey.
There is no accurate or practical test for honey purity available for the average consumer. There is current pending legislation in many states that will make it a crime to adultrate honey. This will help tremendously, especially with the huge amounts of imported "questionable" honey products. In the meantime, purchase honey from local beekeepers, when possible. Beekeepers are a unique lot that take great pride in their product and greatly appreciate the chance to promote their sweet harvest.
Dale, United States
31 Oct, 2010
I can assure all; there is no simple test to detect for low levels of other syrups in honey (match, freezing, pour, dissolving, etc.)
Polarmetrics has released an instrument specifically designed to detect low level syrups that may be present in honey (and maple syrup) The calibration that is resident on the instrument contains honeys from around the world and from all different types of flora.
To see how easy the unit is to operate go to this site: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7bduVDpyzw
While this instrument is very accurate, fast and easy to use the problem remains; if distributors and large consumers of honey (food companies) do not invest in testing their honey, the bad guys have nothing to deter them from making large profits by adding low cost syrups to their honey. The consumer unfortunately is the one that ends up ingesting syrups that they did not intend to.
John B, United States
24 Sep, 2010
Hi, if you want to test pure honey, just place the plastic container inside the freezer. If it solidifies, it means it's adulterated honey. If the honey remained sticky after you have frozen it for many hours, days or weeks, it means that it's pure.
Mary Sheryl Dela Cruz, Philippines
23 Sep, 2010
Ruth: The stickiest part of the issue is that most adulterated honey does contain pure honey (in unknown part but not 100%), thus I feel a more foolproof method would be one that is able to detect the presence of other ingredients/contents other than honey.
Polarmetrics has developed an analyzer to measure adulteration levels in pure honey (rice, cane, corn, beet and tapioca syrups)
This technique, which is quite sophisticated, is very easy to use and only takes several minutes to produce a result. This same instrument can measure adulterations in Maple syrup.
Should anyone want further information, please e-mail me at; [email protected].
John B., United States
12 Aug, 2010
Ruth: John, may I know your thoughts on the likelihood for consumers to be interested in using such an instrument for testing honey purity at home? Or is it a method confined more to the labs and research institutions?
John: The instrument to detect these adulterants is quite sophisticated. This does not make it difficult to use but does make it fairly expensive so it would mostly be prone to be purchased by laboratories. We are trying to find contacts within the state labs to see if they would possibly purchase these instruments so consumers could have their honey tested. With WI passing new legislation on this subject, they now need to figure out how they are going to test and enforce and they do not seem to have a grasp on that issue yet.
Up to now there really was no accurate means to test for adulterations. The Polarmetrics instrument can detect; beet, corn, rice, tapioca and cane syrups in honey. The analysis time of about 4 minutes and requires only a drop of sample. It is Polarmetrics hope that the large distributors and food companies will begin to clamp down on this adulteration issue as it has potential to cause severe economic problems in the industry. It is my belief that the adulteration problem does not occur much with the small producers that sell their natural honey at various markets and such but rather on the large scale operations (like honey sold to large store chains and food companies)
It is also believed that when an unadulterated honey is held on a thin sheet of paper, the reverse side of the paper won't get stained. but the adulterated would stain.
Etim Ating, Nigeria
26 July, 2010
One way of testing pure honey is to pour the honey from its container about a meter or more. Observe that a pure honey never snap out even though how THIN the thread like liquid is.
Edwin Uy, The Philippines
25 July, 2010
It comes to my thoughts that a test called 'sensitive crystallization' could well be the one that helps us resolve this challenge of determining if a honey sample is genuinely from a floral source as gathered and processed by honeybees or if in fact that sample contains only partial amounts of Real Honey?
There is much scientific chatter about testing honey and identifying various details about it, but in the presence of so many varieties of flowers and the nectars they produce, the results mostly only lead to more investigations and any conclusion offered is usually slanted towards the biases of the person reporting on the test. How can it be any other way?
These 'sensitive crystallization' tests (aka Capillary Dynamolysis) displays visually the 'life force' or the structure creating potential of a substance. If we accept the idea that this ability to form intricate structures is synonymous with the nutritive value of a foodstuff then this test could in fact be useful in demonstrating the value of real honey over factory contrived or manufactured sugars.
Do any readers have any knowledge of this test being applied to the 'diluted honey' problem?
Here are some links to background information on these tests and how they are used in agriculture to assess the nutritive value of crops grown under specific soil conditions.
http://www.levity.com/alchemy/kolisko.html
http://www.biodynamics.in/chrom.htm
http://apitherapy.blogspot.com/2008/01/study-honey-is-living-food-refined.html
At the end of the day, what we really want to know is this: "Is this honey going to nurture and sustain my life or is it just cheapened or compromised with substitutes?"
Kinesiology as currently practiced has promise too, in determining a particular honey's suitability to our individual and present metabolism. However, the ultimate skill, test or methodology, as used for thousands of years is simply to taste it and see. The simplest of methods, of course, is the less marketable but also the most inexpensive! How able we are to tune in to our own body's sensitivity is quite an individual matter, of course, but our own subconscious mind is probably our very best source of this vital information.
So we have to ask ourselves, "Are we trying to prove something to disbelievers, or are we simply wanting to test our own food?" Both are valid enough objectives, I find, so why not progress them both?
John Smith, Australia
10 July, 2010
Ruth: Interesting posting, John. The capillary dynamolysis and chromatography tests are repeatable and seem relatively simple in terms of set-up. I think the key challengle remains that the analysis involves a qualitative approach and is subject to much of the individual's response when interpreting the images and patterns. Perhaps this is the most tricky, complex, and costly part of the method. Also, at the end of the day, I feel the ordinary consumer would still want to leave everything, the experiments, analysis, and certification of 100% real honey to the experts, the authorities. After trying so much honey from so many different sources, honestly I still cannot totally trust my taste buds or conciousness if a particular honey is adulterated. There are just too many factors that determine the taste, aroma, viscosity, colour of honey - difference in regions, eastern and western, countries, weather and soil conditions, season, floral types, bee species, etc, etc, etc. I agree with what many of you advise, to be 100% certain, get honey directly from a trusted beekeeper.
I give honey to my children regualrly so whether honey is pure is one of my concerns too.i am trying langnese honey. I tried mixing with water and i also thought the way honey behaved in water was very different. I also tried the flame test and the honey soaked cotton bud burnt beautifully, giving out a deliciously sweet smell. Also i believe that pure honey will not leave an unpleasant after taste and takes off some of the bitterness of cofee! I havent tried inviting ants to honey, but i noticed that ants do not come to dates so i agree with muhammad from Iran about honey containing a substance which repels ants.
Maryam Nashda, Maldives
10 Jun, 2010
Buy honey from a local beekeeper or keep bees your self it is a wonderful hobby I have two hive in my back yard which produce approx 50 kgs (100lbs) each per year
Edward Flower, Australia
29 May, 2010
I am newly introduced into the honey industry and i have tried this test and it works just fine, but when i tried it with adulterated I got the same results. I have also noticed a strange reaction from thyme honey i have in a bottle. when i shake it , the honey produces a foam that chokes the bottle that if you open it, the honey gets effervescent anf fizzy then it comes up and flows out. effervescent
Driss Belgnaoui, Morocco
16 April, 2010
I once saw a demonstration by a bee-producer. She poured honey into a clear glass plate till it covered the base. Then she poured some water over the honey (the honey and water does not mix). And after swirling the water above the honey for about a minute, the honey formed a honeycomb pattern. I tried it and it worked! however, i have yet to try with adulterated honey, so I am not sure if this is a test of pure honey.
Melissa Wong, Singapore
18 March, 2010
Ruth: What you have described sounds rather magical. Honestly, I am extremely sceptical about these demonstrations.
Getting to know a trusted brand is very important, of course. For instance i like to purchase bottled honey made by Sweetmeadow NZ because the company produces a wide range of honey vary from cloudy-white to dark brown, so i believe it is very unlikely that the company will add sugar or water into their honey. moreover, the Kamahi and Wildflower honey they sell appear to be quite solid like groundnut paste, i think there's no way they could adulterate this kind of honey. adding on, the company sells comb honey too so i have very high faith with this brand that their honey is pure and unaltered. they also affirm there's no water or sugar added, no additives and no preservatives. all their honey is stated as "100% pure honey" on the bottle label. if anyone is staying in S.E.Asia i think you can give this brand a try, take a look on their website and products.
Alternatively, you can also get raw and natural honey from your local pharmacies. look for brands that are organically certified.
Pure honey should have a layer of bubbles on top or around the edge of the bottle, sometimes it might have impurities like dust particles. theoretically, pure honey has around -3 celcius freezing point so it will not freeze in the chiller (bottom compartment of your fridge).
I hope these help. good luck to you in search of the best honey for your beloved family.
Wilson Wong, Malaysia
10 March, 2010
Ruth: "Quite solid like groundnut paste" is cream honey, one of the honey forms. Adulterated honey can also be made into cream honey. Also, beware of food labels and marketing claims, e.g honey can contain 100% pure honey but may not consist 100% of pure honey.
I'm a beekeeper in Colorado. Yes, sugar syrup is used to boost honey production,but only as a way of giving a newly started hive a boost to their brood production which in turn produces more bees for a quick spring buildup.This results in a stronger hive ,"more bees", to produce honey from the actual nectar sources available.I assure you they aren't trying to cheat anyone! Sugar syrup is also converted into actual honey by the bees as Lisa pointed out.The sugar water is also used to build comb,where they not only store honey but it's also a place for the Queen to lay her eggs. I hope this helps people understand the use of sugar water as a tool for the beekeeper to boost brood production.
Douglas Fasi, United States
22 February, 2010
Find a local beekeeper and ask them to mentor you as you become a new beekeeper. Then and only then you can know for sure you can harvest real honey as pure as it gets. You can know you did not put chemicals in the hive to kill pests or diseases. You can know you did not feed your bees anything that would adulterate the honey.
Ahhh Yes, Peace of mind.
Chappie McChesney, United States
19 February, 2010
My school is doing a science fair and have to test and see how to tell if honey is real or not, i tested it and discovered you just had to put real honey on your skin and rub, if it sticks it means its fake, if it does'nt it means its real.
Ruth: Real honey can stick as well, in fact it is commonly used in application on troubled skin. Also, stickiness of the honey depends on the viscoisity of its floral variety.
Martin Chevreau, United Kingdom
14 January, 2010
Perhaps, in my small view, I consider that a pure honey is when we drop into the paper, it would not perforate the paper. But, it's relative. The proper thing to do is to pray before we taste the honey and so it will be more blessing. May HE helps us in all our favor.
William Woodcat, Indonesia
4 January, 2010
To know if you're buying pure honey, buy it from a local beekeeper. You know it's local because you can see the hives for yourself. A way to ensure it's pure - volunteer to help them out during honey collection! The beekeeper gets a little from labor and you get peace of mind and a little education experience.
David Hutchinson, United States
17 November, 2009
1. Pour a few drops of honey into a clear glass of water and we could see the drops settle at the bottom of the glass, and without shaking or stirring the glass of water, drink the water. Water has no taste of honey or sugar. It doesn't readily mix with water.
2. Pour one or two drops into a tissue paper, the paper doesn't get wet for a long time.
3. Take a small drop on our outer skin and rub it well. It won't become sticky. But if sugar is added it will become sticky. Feel the difference!
Lalu Bahulan, India
14 November, 2009
I m from Kashmir, once heaven on earth where tons of fruite would be eaten by the livestock, and the biggest exporter of saffron, alnuts and honey. We have three authentic tests for purity of honey and, amazingly, all of them work. One, if its pure honey a dog will not lick it; two, flies will not sit on it and three, it will not leave a stain. Try it.
Sadiq Ali, India
14 November, 2009
Having spent the 1st 23 years of my life raising bees commercially with over 2000 hives. I can say that there are no test outside a lab that you can use to be sure the Honey is pure. Most of the test mentioned here may work for one type of honey or the other, but as the moisture content varies from one type of honey as to another, these test will also vary. Orange Blossom and Clover Honey is going to be lighter in color and sweeter, Tulip Popular is going to be so dark that it at times can be confused with mollasses. Sourwood Honey will vary from area to area from light yellow to read. Golden Rod Honey will have a higher moisture content then most. The darker honey is darker for the most part because it has more minerals in it then lighter honeys. Putting corn suryup in honey became popular in the late 70's and nearly put most bee keepers out of business as they could not produce and sell honey to compete with the adulterated honey. Best way to do it is to buy it in the comb and squeeze it out your self! Until our goverments crack down on people who adulterate our foods with punishment harsh enough to make it not worth the time there is a big chance that the honey you buy in the super market or from a large labled company has been adulterated. Another form of adulteration is to filter the honey so that it looks and taste like corn suryup, leaving the honey as usless as corn suryup.
Darwin, United States
9 November, 2009
Buy it direct from the beekeeper - there are bee clubs everwhere that can direct you to a beekeeper. I get a better price & excelent quality. also I sometimes buy comb - that is always pure honey. And also - even if they feed sugar to the bees - The bees make it into honey, and mix it with the gathered stuff, so it would not be all that bad if you get sugar honey, it is still honey. The bee adds the stomach enzymes and that is what makes it honey. The poor quality stuff you mention is when they collect the honey before the bees have had a chance to cure it or evaporate out most of the water - then it can spoil and ferment. a specific gravity test would ensure it is good - but in reality the bees will cap it when it is ready - and a good beekeeper will only harvest honey that is capped.
Lisa Shock, United States
21 October, 2009
Dr. Lynne Chepulis, in her book, 'Healing Honey' suggest applying "real' honey to half a bandage and 'suspect' honey to the other half and observe how the wound responds.
I believe this would be a good test. In the case of sunburn, where a large patch of skin was tested, or say where both hands were equally affected, the test should be very revealing.
The 'real' honey should bring about a greater reduction in inflammation, pain and tenderness. However, just how this would reveal the presence of say, Ten Percent of other syrup is not clear, as even a small amount of honey in water, milk, or any dressing seems to produce good results.
In the book, "Honey, Mud and Maggots" the Root-Bernstein Couple indicate that because of the density factor (osmolarity) many forms of sugar, both granulated and as syrups are beneficial to the wound healing activity.
My most promising test is in the gut. As one who qualifies as 'Pre-Diabetic' I am studying how the honey feels in my body in the hour or so immediately after ingesting it.
Honey from my own hives is my standard, and to date I am finding that some Supermarket brands set my blood sugar jumping and I feel jittery, and if taken at night, unable to fall asleep readily.
However, it is such a subjective test, one must proceed with much care. I am encouraging some of my Diabetic customers to study these symptoms also.
As a beekeeper, honey producer and vendor, I am of the opinion that the larger the concern the more they have to gain from putting in the equipment needed to introduce cheaper syrups into the honey. Small time beekeepers are much less likely to want to buy up tanks and pumps and blending devices. I am also aware that as individual beekeepers, we represent a very broad range of human types.
In his book, "The Honey Revolution" Dr. Ron Fessenden sums up this problem by saying "Buy your honey from someone you trust!." So I guess that as a Doctor of Medicine he is all too aware that personalities are subject to a lot of variation.
As honey has been suppressed for maybe 100 years (as far as its health promoting properties are concerned), there is little profit in its production, so any beekeeper still persevering with beekeeping is unlikely to be affected by a lust for money. But with poor environmental conditions prevailing and even worsening, his need for economic survival may twist his morals just that little bit!
Not everyone in New York City has access to a local beekeeper, and some may live next door to one they don't trust. So what to do? Other than buy only comb honey, I believe one needs to accept what is available in good faith, being also willing (and eager even) to upgrade when the opportunity arises. It seems there are multiple levels of quality, and the sales messages will always say, "This one is the best!"
The language of honey, the facts of honey, the beliefs surrounding honey are as distorted and misrepresented as much and more as they are around any other foodstuff in the market, and probably only because it is such an ancient commodity. No two experts agree on what is best, and we all judge honey by our own criteria.
So it follows that any degree of switching from manufactured sweeteners over to natural honey is likely to yield excellent results. Perfection may not be required.
We may not always get the quality we pay for, but seldom do we get quality if we weren't willing to pay for it.
John Smith, Australia
18 October, 2009
As it has been told if it gets crystallised that doesn't mean its made of sugar or such stuff, its quite normal depending on the traits of the honey. You can also differ from the colour of the honey, it must have a natural colour i mean not blurred no matter what its clour is (light/dark brown, yellow) Some honey can be watery too liquid, and that means it wasn't taken in the right time but earlier, honey must be ripen too. Never believe what is written on labels, if you can, try to get it from a trusted beekeeper:) I guess no need to deal with yolk egg etc. If you can observe these things the honey is fine. There can be slight changes in its taste, that depends on the climate that year or flower and there is nothing to worry about. It contains the all the nutriments.
Seval Sahin, Turkey
17 October, 2009
My grandmother used to bring us raw honey or comb honey. She told us that one way to test it is to dip an unused matchstick into the comb honey. Then strike the match, if it lights up continuously then it is "pure honey" but if something has already been done or added to it.
Evangeline Manalac, The Philippines
17 October, 2009
To test a real pure honey, physically the only way is by tasting and no other way. 1st the sweetness taste of the honey is like biting in your throat. When the honey is in your mouth before swallowing, your tongue will appear to be stuck on the top of your mouth. If the honey is not pure and mix with sugar the taste is just normal sweet like in sugar sweet does not have that biting feeling.
And the best proven way is to bring it to the lab to test the sucrose, glucose, fractose, moisture content......etc There's no other way period.
Zep, Singapore
13 October, 2009
The only true test to confirm whether it is pure honey is to know the beekeeper! "How do you know if it's pure honey if you don't know the beekeeper?" Buy honey from your local beekeeper. Pay them the asking price for the honey. It takes time to keep healthy hives and is labor intensive to harvest.
Kenn, United Kingdom
9 October, 2009
I read somewhere that a test for pure honey is to drop some on a flat surface and if it's pure it will retain its bubble-like shape but if corn starch has been added or the bees fed with sugar water, then the honey will run. I tried this and it seemed to work.
Jacinta, United Kingdom
22 September, 2009
Add an egg to the honey and see for yourself if the egg content thickens as though it has been heated.
Wong Shew Choong, Malaysia
14 September, 2009
Take a glass of water & take honey into one tablespoon & drop it into water. If it is pure honey then honey lump will be settled at bottom of galss, if it is not pure it will start mixing with water.Generally, jiggery sugar mixed in honey will start mixing in water.
/P>This test can be done at home easily or at place of purchase.
Ashok Singh, India
5 September, 2009
If you pour pure honey into a glass of water, it will not be disturbed untill it settles to the base. Others will be disturbed before reaching the base of glass.
Naser Sanaei Sabzevary, Iran
29 August, 2009
Try pour a honey on a slice of bread. if pure honey, the bread will hardening like a toast. if adulterated honey, the bread will soak because of the excess of water.
Azizul Wahab, Malaysia
22 August, 2009
Test of pure honey: Dip a 100 Rupees note in honey. Now ignite the 100 Rupee note with fire. You will notice, the note doesn't burn at all, only the honey burns, and the note stays unharmed and unburnt!!! That's the test of pure honey. You will see honey sellers in villages of Madhya Pradesh, India, use this method as purity proof of honey.
Raine Claire, India
8 August, 2009
Take a matchstick, dip the tip in honey and strike it to light. Pure honey will light the match and the light will burn the honey. My understanding of this test is that syrups or honey adulterated with water will moisten the tip of the matchstick thus getting it wet making it unable to light and burn.
Langga, The Philippines
4 August, 2009
I would like to say that tests with using spoon over 8 inches and finger dipping and letting it fall, even though the honey becomes thin as thread are not true...I tested that method for many years on many honeys and I can definitely say that is not true method...I agree with iodine solution, but when corn syrup is in game...But normally I prefer to mention water and honey - the way honey behaves in water unlike sugar -it is a good method...
Jenny, Bosnia and Herzegovina
24 June, 2009
I notice nobody does a test using egg. Try this. Pour the honey into a bowl with egg yolk in it(without the egg white).
Stir them together. Stir it long enough so that they mix well together. After a while, you will notice that the egg yolk turns into some cottage form of egg. If it's real honey, it seems like the egg is a bit cooked. If it's not,it doesn't have any effect on the egg yolk.
Pearl, Singapore
22 June, 2009
I have found that pure honey does not leave a strong, unpleasant aftertaste like adulterated honey. I do the "string" test where I dip a spoon in the honey and raise it about 8 inches (or more). If it comes down in a steady, thin stream, it is likely pure. Then I taste it to see if there is an unpleasant aftertaste. Sugar seems to leave a fermented-like taste in my mouth, as does corn syrup.
Carla, United States
25 May, 2009
Bees naturally build the combs between the stones and on the trees, and to protect the honey from insects, ants and others they add an additive to honey.
This is the reason why ants will not hover around pure honey.
Mohammad, Iran
28 April, 2009
I have used the following method. Pour the some honey from a bottle with a narrow neck into a cup from 30 to 40 cm above the cup. If the honey forms a thin line without an interruption, then the honey is very likely to free of adulteration.
Rocky Zaiter, United States
20 April, 2009
Pure honey is somewhat transparent, and will retain its original taste after many years. These are indications for differentiation.
Samrat Chattopadhyay, Inida
18 April, 2009
Take the bowl of honey and put it into the freezer, if honey is pure it will not become ice and the one that is not pure will become ice.
Ahmal, Tanzania
17 Mar, 2009
I had just heard about a test - take some honey on the ending side of paper and make fire on it, if it's pure then it will burn.
NV Matt, Bangladesh
21 Feb, 2009
I have recently bought honey at the market in Mexico City which I am sure is adulterated. The reason I am sure is because:
1. The honey does not become more viscous or crystalize when it is at a low temperature (about 60F or less).
2. When boiled it does not caramelize as readily as real honey. I regularly boil honey when making granola and my honey oil mixture generally bubbles and rises in the pot quite quickly. This honey boiled for several minutes without ever becoming foamy or threatening to overflow the pot.
3. The flavor is weak and less sweet than normal honey.
Sherri Biegeleisen, Mexico
15 Feb, 2009
I was ever told that pure honey doesn't get frozen or solidified in the freezer.
Johnny Lau, Malaysia
6 Feb, 2009
Ruth: Yes, honey freezes in the freezer. In fact, for long term storage, it's the preferred way of storing. Without proper storage at room temperature, honey tend to lose its quality after some time especially in hot climate like Singapore and Malaysia.
I noticed your info concerning corn starch mixed with nature's finest. I did some quick researching and I believe an iodine solution may be your detection mechanism for the starch. Combination of the two turns gray according to articles I found on the internet.
Larry, United States
30 Jan, 2009
Put your finger in the honey and raise your finger high about 18" or so. If the honey is good, it shouldn't break, although it gets very thin (like a thread). If it's not pure, it will keep breaking and doesn't follow your finger. Try it.
Rahim, Canada
22 Jan, 2009
I have a very old traditional method of testing honey , done mostly by tribals.
Catch a housefly in your hands, and then dip it into the honey and leave it. If it is pure honey , the housefly will come out of the honey safe and will fly away. While if it is adultrated she may either die or have herself glued in the syrup, but definitely cannot fly away.
Deepti, India
3 Aug, 2008
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