I. What is Crystallized Honey?

When you notice small granules at the bottom or near the mouth of your honey jar, it means the honey has crystallized. From a chemical perspective, crystallized honey is when honey changes from a liquid form to a granular form, which can be either fine or coarse. Each type of honey will have different crystallization patterns depending on the composition of nutrients present.

Crystallization is a natural phenomenon commonly observed in honey

In essence, honey primarily consists of sugar, making up around 70%. Within this sugar content, there are two different types of natural sugars: glucose, accounting for about 31%, and fructose, constituting approximately 38.5%. Honey is less likely to crystallize when stored at appropriate temperatures.

When honey crystallizes and solidifies, the sugar content in the solution becomes much higher, around 75-80%, compared to regular honey. This high sugar concentration is the reason why pure honey easily crystallizes. Additionally, glucose molecules tend to separate from water and form crystals during this process, which are known as crystallization nuclei.

II. Reasons for honey crystallization

Honey crystallization is a natural process, so even without any external factors, honey can still crystallize and solidify. However, there are several objective reasons that can accelerate the crystallization process, such as:

1. Low temperatures

When honey is stored below 20°C, it is more likely to crystallize and solidify. Experts recommend storing honey at temperatures between 20°C to 30°C to avoid crystallization. Therefore, during the winter season in Northern regions, honey from wild sources may crystallize.

Many people tend to keep honey in the refrigerator to prevent bacteria and pests from spoiling it. However, if honey is stored in the refrigerator's freezer compartment, it will solidify, making it difficult to use. You would need to thaw it before usage.

Honey stored at temperatures below 20 degrees Celsius is prone to crystallization

In the case of honey stored in the refrigerator, temperatures below 20 degrees Celsius will accelerate crystallization. Therefore, if you don't want your honey to crystallize and become sugary, it's best not to store it in the fridge.

However, to ensure that your honey maintains its best quality and lasts longer, you should store it in dry, cool areas, away from direct sunlight, and in a clean environment to prevent bacteria, ants, flies, or mosquitoes from contaminating it. Additionally, it's advisable to keep the honey in a stable position to minimize the risk of accidentally breaking the honey jar.                                                                                          

2. Prolonged storage

If you leave honey unused for an extended period, it can also lead to crystallization. Over time, the compounds in the honey react chemically with each other. This is particularly common with wild honey that is not processed and packaged by reputable companies.

Honey does have an expiration date, typically around 2 to 3 years from the time of harvest. However, proper storage is essential to preserve its quality and maintain its high nutritional content.

Many people store honey for longer than 3 years, and even up to 10 years, which can lead to crystallization due to exposure to various weather conditions over the years.

3. Unprocessed honey

Honey that has not undergone processing using technology is highly susceptible to crystallization

Unprocessed honey can be wild honey or honey collected and processed by local residents, who extract the honey and sell it directly in the market. This type of honey has not gone through refining, filtering, or industrial filtration processes, which can result in the presence of pollen or bee particles as factors causing the honey to crystallize.

In the case of high-quality honey products from large companies or honey products for export or imported honey, they all have to undergo industrial filtration processes to ensure the best honey quality, long-term preservation, and compliance with high food safety standards.

4. Adulteration with chemicals

Honey is considered an essential food for many families, and it holds significant economic value. As a result, some individuals prioritize profits and sell adulterated honey in the market to increase the quantity and volume of honey.

Moreover, some people believe that crystallized honey indicates genuine honey. Therefore, unscrupulous sellers may add chemicals to honey to make it crystallize, similar to genuine crystallized honey.

Adulterated honey not only crystallizes more easily but also significantly reduces the overall quality of honey, which may pose adverse effects on health. On the other hand, honey blended with water may not crystallize.

The higher the sugar content and the denser the honey, the more prone it is to crystallization. Therefore, while honey with low water content may crystallize, diluted honey with a higher water content may not crystallize, resulting in a more diluted consistency.

III. Is Crystallized Honey Better than Regular Honey?

Both crystallized honey and regular honey have the same quality of honey

Many people mistakenly believe that crystallized honey is better than regular honey because crystallization indicates that the honey is concentrated. As mentioned above, crystallization is a completely natural phenomenon and does not alter the beneficial nutrients in honey for the human body. Therefore, whether honey is crystallized or not, the overall quality remains the same.

Crystallized honey still provides numerous benefits to users, similar to regular honey, such as:

• Relief of dry cough, cough with phlegm, especially when combined with mint leaves, rose petals, ginger, etc., creating effective home remedies for cough.
• Treatment of burns and reducing soreness. Pure honey has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial properties and excellent cell regeneration capabilities.
• Enhancement of memory, especially in middle-aged individuals, due to the presence of acetylcholine in honey.
• Prevention of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and support for the treatment of gastric and intestinal conditions.
• Excellent for individuals with diabetes as honey mainly contains natural sugars that are not harmful to the body.
• Honey contains many antioxidants that help prevent cancer.
• Effective in soothing hemorrhoids and enhancing wound healing.
• Detoxifies the body and boosts the immune system due to its mineral content, providing energy and numerous beneficial amino acids and enzymes for the body.
• Improvement of eyesight through B-group vitamins in honey, reducing eye strain, eye fatigue, dry eyes, and eye pain.
• Treatment of acne and quick fading of blemishes, safely.
• Moisturizing, whitening the skin, and tightening pores, resulting in a radiant, smooth, and glowing complexion.
• Exfoliating the skin and nourishing the hair due to the enzymes and other beneficial nutrients present.
• Combining with ingredients like ginger, lemon, etc., to achieve fast and effective weight loss at home.

IV. Temperature and identifying crystallized honey

How is honey crystallization affected by temperature, and how can you identify crystallized honey?

Temperature is the most basic factor that leads to honey crystallization. When the ambient temperature is below 20 degrees Celsius, honey will crystallize. However, if honey is stored at higher temperatures, the compounds within it can undergo changes, reducing its nutritional value and many of its health benefits for consumers.

Identifying crystallized honey is quite simple and can be done with the naked eye. If you notice tiny crystals at the bottom of your honey jar, around the jar's mouth, or extending from the bottom up to the jar's neck, it means that your honey has crystallized.

V. Is crystallized honey indicative of good quality?

The more concentrated and lower water content in honey, the easier it is to crystallize. However, basing the judgment of honey's quality solely on crystallization is not accurate. In reality, many types of honey from low-sugar sources may crystallize less, but they can still be excellent in taste.

Moreover, industrially processed honey will have a reduced tendency to crystallize, but its taste and nutritional value are always guaranteed. Therefore, to purchase good-quality honey, you should choose reputable sellers or select honey from the flower species you prefer, rather than relying on crystallization as the determining factor.

VI. The popularity of crystallized honey in Europe

Crystallized honey is widely used in many European countries

In many European countries, people highly prefer crystallized honey. When applied to dishes, crystallized honey makes the food visually appealing, unique, and enhances its aroma and taste.

People in Europe enjoy using honey as a spice in appetizers, marinating meats, or making beverages. Additionally, more viscous types of honey are priced higher and favored over less viscous, less crystallized types of honey.

In contrast, in Vietnam, people generally prefer less crystallized honey. Vietnamese consumers tend to use honey for consumption and store it in narrow-necked jars or bottles. As a result, if the honey crystallizes, it becomes challenging to extract from the container. However, in foreign countries, they often store honey in wide-mouth jars for easy access.

VII. In Vietnam, which types of honey crystallize most easily?

Due to the increasing demand for honey consumption, besides harvesting honey from wild sources, many individuals and companies have developed beekeeping models with diverse types of seasonal flowers to produce various types of honey.

The early-season forest honey has a higher sugar content, making it more prone to crystallization than other types of honey

Each type of honey from different flower species has varying ratios of sugar and different components, resulting in some types of honey crystallizing more easily than others.

• Honeys that crystallize more easily include: early-season forest honey (around February-April-May), acacia honey, clover honey, peppermint honey, rubber tree honey, etc.
• Honeys that crystallize less easily include: longan honey, coffee blossom honey, lychee honey, lotus honey, etc.

Furthermore, industrially processed honey that have been purified and free of impurities are less likely to crystallize compared to honey collected by individuals and sold directly in the market. Processed industrial honey is also guaranteed in terms of quality, food safety, and has a longer shelf life compared to raw, untreated honey.

VIII. Conclusion

Through this article, you probably have a better understanding of the phenomenon of honey crystallization and can use honey more confidently. However, it is essential to be cautious, as there are many counterfeit honey products on the market that closely resemble real honey and are challenging to distinguish. Therefore, when you need to buy pure honey for consumption or gifting, it is best to choose reputable sources like IVY HONEY to ensure you get the highest quality products.