Hi,
Last Spring's honey (2014) did not crystalize for at least 6 months. I recently took some 2014/2015 overwintered honey off the hives and extracted it. It was semi-crystalized but did extract OK. I warmed it up and it appeared to liquify OK but 2 weeks later it is hardening up again.
Is there a technique to warm it and have it stay liquid for a longer period or does it now want to go back to a solid more quickly?
Thanks, Ray
Crystallization begins with a nucleus crystal. The warmer ( or hotter) the initial honey is, the less of these crystals there are. Honey crystallizes most quickly at ~50*F. The farther you keep it, either above or below that temp, the slower it re-crystallizes.
Thoroughly warming it to ~120*F works well for me. Any warming appears to begin to destroy enzymes and amino acids.
Colebee,
Everything I have read about this says that over 104 degrees starts to kill the good bacteria in the honey.
I normally tell my customers to bring a pot of water to 110 degrees and then turn the heat off and try to get the honey to 104 degrees without going over it then let it slowly cool to keep dissolving the crystals. More than likely, not all that f the crystals dissolved when you did it.
Jim
Thanks, I warmed it in an old small refrigerator with a 40 watt bulb. The temp came up to about 95 degrees so probably a little to cool to properly dissolve the crystals. I'll try a little bit warmer without killing the good stuff.
Thanks again,
Ray
Keep an eye out for a water heater that is out for the trash. You can also find them at hardware stores. Most of them have 2 thermostats that make perfect controllers for a honey heater. Wire it in series with the hot side of the light and mount it inside the heater. Be sure to tape it up with electrical tape to keep it safe. You can make very accurate adjustments to the temperature in the box. I placed 2 of them in my heater, each with a separate switch. One is set for 104 degrees, the other is set for 150 degrees for melting wax. I have a 150 watt bulb in my box.
Jim
Well, I can't find any reliable documentation so I removed the offending #'s. There is little disagreement that warming begins to harm enzymes & amino acids at fairly low temperatures.
'Still unable to find anything about "good bacteria" in honey...
>Still unable to find anything about "good bacteria" in honey...
This one is focused on wound care, but they identify some of the bacteria:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2269714/
Some more on microorganisms in general but not necessarily on benefits:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8880294
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/bacteria-found-in-honeybee-stomachs-could-be-used-as-alternative-to-antibiotics-9724292.html
http://www.nhs.uk/news/2014/09September/Pages/Bacteria-found-in-honey-may-help-fight-infection.aspx
Colo;
A friend of mine was heavily involved in the Civil War Re-enactments. They done everything the confederate soldiers done; slept on the ground, cooked over fire, ect. When I first started keeping bees he pointed out that honey was applied on wounds to keep infections down.
Thanks...good replies and info.
I'll keep my eye out for an old water heater for the thermostat. I was trying to find just such a switch online (but cheaply also). HHHHMMMM...I wonder if it's time to replace my water heater!!
Thanks, Ray
I've long used honey and propolis for burns & cuts. Reading the aforementioned articles ( more like skimming) it appears that the "beneficial bacteria" come from the bee gut, and don't last long in the "anti-microbial" environment of honey - certainly not as long as it takes to crystallize. It does, however, show promise as a new tool in the battle against AB resistant pathogens.
If I understand correctly ( & forgive me - some of this is very new to me) spore based pathogens can survive, non-spore based (the beneficial bacteria) tend to dwindle in a matter of weeks. Dilution of honey (as when applied to a wound) releases hydrogen peroxide. The hydrogen peroxide is apparently not the sole source for the "healing nature" of honey.
In general, it appears - when it come to re-liquifying/re-warming honey - that the less heat you can apply, the better, in terms of the amino acids, lipids, vitamins, minerals and enzymes, (and beneficial bacteria). As far as "de-crystallizing", something in the vicinity of 115-120*F seems to be necessary to delay rapid re-crystallizing.
This is an interesting discussion - thanks for the insights. (and any more...)