# Honey brix 19



## Cydonia (Jul 11, 2011)

Hey folks. I have paid someone to extract my honey for last three years. I have just picked up my extracted honey (4 buckets) and the guy who did it warned me that it came in at 19% brix. If i jar it then will it ferment? Can i sell it with confidence?
Regards.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

>> ... it came in at 19% brix. 

That sounds a bit _odd_. 

Honey brix is a measure of sweetness, and is normally somewhere around 70 - 88 brix. However, honey is also measured/judged by its _moisture content_. A honey with 19% moisture is a bit higher moisture than what is allowed for USDA Grade A honey. Fermentation can be a risk with high moisture content honey.

18.6% moisture is the maximum allowed for USDA Grade A honey. The standards document is here: http://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/Extracted_Honey_Standard[1].pdf

See pages 10-11, Table IV (filtered honey) or Table V (strained honey) for the 18.6% Grade A criteria. 

They phrase it backwards - a minimum of 81.4% 'soluble solids', which means a maximum moisture content of 18.6%. (81.4% + 18.6% = 100%)


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## Riverderwent (May 23, 2013)

Cydonia said:


> Hey folks. I have paid someone to extract my honey for last three years. I have just picked up my extracted honey (4 buckets) and the guy who did it warned me that it came in at 19% brix. If i jar it then will it ferment? Can i sell it with confidence?
> Regards.


Depending on what the fellow meant, 19% Brix may mean 17.4% water which is safe. Ask him what he meant, and if he is referring to 100 less Brix of 81, ask him if he applied a corrective factor. If he did not, do an internet search for Brix corrective factor. You may find that you should subtract 1.6 from the result of subtracting the Brix no. From 100. Do not rely on me here, I'm way over my head.


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## Cydonia (Jul 11, 2011)

Yeah sorry i meant 19% moisture. Thoughts on what i can do?


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## My-smokepole (Apr 14, 2008)

Put in small room with a dehumidifier. Open the bucket lids.


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## crofter (May 5, 2011)

My-smokepole said:


> Put in small room with a dehumidifier. Open the bucket lids.


If you go the dehumidifier route, consider making kind of a hut of plastic to enclose the dehumidifier and the pails. The temperature should rise in the contained area and if it was around 100 F. it would help the operation (hot air can pick up more moisture.) Stir the honey often as only the top surface is transferring moisture; also stirring needed before doing effectiveness checks with the refractometer. You do not have to loose more than about 1% moisture so something in the neigborhood of a quart or a bit more.

If you dont have one, I believe they should be available for rent.

Good luck!


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## aunt betty (May 4, 2015)

If I had a dehumidifier and a pup tent...


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