# How to prevent granulation?



## Beemaninsa (Jun 9, 2004)

I find the better the honey is strained, the slower it will granulate. Bottling the honey while warm will make a huge difference. I personally think the taste changes little if the honey is heated to 125-130 degrees F for a short time. Honey granulates fastest at 57 degrees so the futher away from 57 degrees you can store honey on either side helps.


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## dcross (Jan 20, 2003)

It won't granulate if it's frozen, but I wouldn't try that with glass jars.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I prefer granulated honey to heated honey, myself. All the nuances of flavor are more important to me. Freezing will prevent granulation, but you have to make sure there is room in the jar for expansion or the jars will explode.


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## forestbee (Sep 11, 2003)

Thanks for all the replies,

But will freezing it will enhance it shelf life? I mean if I froze for a day then take it to the store will it take longer to granulate at their shelf than if I didnt freeze it?

Thanks a lot,


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

No. It won't. But it will buy you time. If it spend a year in your freezer, when you take it out it's at the same point as far as granulation, so if it would have taken a month to granulate it will take a month after you remove it. Granulation does take place on particals in the honey, so filtering more finely does slow it down. Heating and then cooling also slows it down a lot, but it also, IMO, spoils the flavors.


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## MountainCamp (Apr 12, 2002)

You may find that crystallization is not as big a problem as you think.
I have found that many of my customers who want raw honey, look for granulated jars. I used to check the jars at shops and was told to leave the ones that crystallized, as people came in looking for them.
Place a sticker on your jars that they are raw honey and all raw honey will crystallize. Give directions on how to re-liquefy.

[This message has been edited by MountainCamp (edited September 13, 2004).]


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I have European friends. When they see a jar of liquid honey they are incredulous that it is honey. They don't believe that honey is liquid.







They've never seen liquid honey.

It depends on your market, but mine seems to like the nuances of flavor you get from unheated honey.


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## Guest (Sep 13, 2004)

To what temperature can you heat without affecting honey flavor?

Heating prior to bottling must be a big help.

I was looking at the plans for the converted freezer "honey heater" on this site and wondering..........


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