# Overheated Honey?



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

It's all a matter of time and temperature. The longer the time and the higher the temperature the more it's affected. Odds are if the honey didn't get a lot darker it's probably not affected a lot. Any heating affects it some.


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## Chef Isaac (Jul 26, 2004)

Chief:

Hey there bro! How is the baby? Jason and I went to look at a bee tree today and gonna take it down tomorrow. Should be fun. How is the family? 

By the way... dont say the honey is raw and not heated


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## NW IN Beekeeper (Jun 29, 2005)

[How hot is too hot for honey before you ruin the flavor?]

Let me ask you a question, 

What is it that makes honey have a flavor? 

Answer that and you will understand better what and how things impact honey flavor.


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## NW IN Beekeeper (Jun 29, 2005)

[Odds are if the honey didn't get a lot darker it's probably not affected a lot.]

That's a blind assumption. 
Something that I'd expect a rooky to say.


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## Everett (Feb 25, 2007)

If you want to do this again you can wire a line thermostat inline with the lightbulb to regulate the heat. Ask your electrical supply for an attic fan thermostat as they will allow you to regulate for 85F and up.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>[Odds are if the honey didn't get a lot darker it's probably not affected a lot.]

>That's a blind assumption. 
>Something that I'd expect a rooky to say.

"A lot" is a very vague term. But getting darker is a definite sign of overheating. If you really want to know what it tastes like, then I'd taste it. 

As I said "Any heating affects it some." So the only question now, is "how much?"


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## ScadsOBees (Oct 2, 2003)

Who cares if it still tastes great?

Sure, some small amount of enzymes are destroyed, but honestly, do you really think that you are much healthier because of some tiny amount of enzymes in a small amount of honey?

I find that I like some of my honey(from the stronger floral sources) better after a little heat.

As long as it tastes like how you like it then I say it doesn't matter. So you can't put "Raw" on your label for this batch. Most of my customers never ask about that, so I'd imagine that it doesn't matter to most people as long as it tastes good and you aren't putting harmful stuff in it.

Live and learn...sure it is better not to over heat the honey, but don't go throwing this stuff away, if it tasted fine, then it is.

Rick


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## Chef Isaac (Jul 26, 2004)

scads: People in our area (my area and chiefs area) are very concered it is raw. I get that question all the time. 

Application of heat DOES change things dramatically. Just take fresh spinach.. put half in the saute pan for 30 seconds and you will see.


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## ScadsOBees (Oct 2, 2003)

> scads: People in our area (my area and chiefs area) are very concered it is raw. I get that question all the time.
> 
> Application of heat DOES change things dramatically. Just take fresh spinach.. put half in the saute pan for 30 seconds and you will see.


Um...honey is a *little* different from spinach , and we aren't talking about sauteeing temps here (I don't think so at least). And if I put honey in a pan and sautee it, after the heat has dissapated, the honey returns to mostly its previous state, unlike spinach. 

I'm just trying to say that if it looks OK and smells OK and tastes OK, then it is OK. Raw? Probably not, depending on what definition you use, although at 130F I think chicken would still be raw. 

Saleable? If you know the temps, and it tastes good yet, sure, but just don't use the raw label on it. Its still better than most of the supermarket honey....


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## Chef Isaac (Jul 26, 2004)

raw is defined (by the creators of raw cuisine... yes, it is true... there is a raw cuisine) is anything over 100 degrees. 

The point of the spinach is that any application of heat will change the product.


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## ScadsOBees (Oct 2, 2003)

chief said:


> I have heard that heating honey over 110 deg F will ruin it. I am not a coinsure of honey so I can’t tell if I have degraded the flavor of the honey that I heated to 130-140 deg F. How hot is too hot for honey before you ruin the flavor?


Answer: Taste it, and if it tastes fine to you, then you haven't ruined the flavor. Probably diminished somewhat, *not raw*, but still tastes fine. I'd guess it still tastes fine and is still a fine honey, but you have to make that final determination. It is good to have some of the original onhand to compare, but not really necessary.

If it is darkened, you can still use it for cooking or making mead .

I appreciate raw honey, and do my best to keep mine that way as well, but I don't want to get carried away by the "raw" craze that leaves me with the feeling that if honey has been over 115F for more than 5 minutes then it is poison. It is still way more healthy than sugar and doesn't carry any health risks from being heated, at least I hope not because we cook with it, and cookies and bread get to 350F. 

Rick


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## RAlex (Aug 18, 2001)

I visited a packer that heats honey to 175 and blends it filters it as well. I also think that if you make creamed honey using the starter crystals from dadants they say to heat the honey to 160 then cool it before adding the starter. I use a full sized old freezer and a 60 watt bulb to get between 110- 120 . If heat is a real concern do you heat the honey when a person uses electric capping knife to remove the cappings ? ...Rick


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## Fuzzy (Aug 4, 2005)

You indicated that the temperature of the AIR in the refridgerator was 140-150. Did you by some chance measure the temperature of the honey. It takes a long time to heat honey all the way through in 5 gallon buckets.

As for the heating.... I'm going to risk rocks an arrows here but heating with "soft" heat is far different that heating with flame or heating element. The use of air or water jacket for the source of heat is much less risky because the contact surfaces never get really hot. However, the longer the time the more water will be driven off from the surface of the honey. Effectively decreasing the moisture content. 

Anything over 120 should also kill any yeast that happen to be present. This would prevent the possibility of fermentation in "thin" honey. 

Fuzzy


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