# Mold



## bob393 (Aug 4, 2015)

I just opened a 5 gal pail of honey and I see some clumps of grayish white mold 
on the surface of the warmed honey. I removed the clumps of what I think is mold 
and there is a thin skin on the surface with a few dark clumps too. I have stored and bottled
probably a hundred pails of honey and this is the first time I have seen this. It seems to taste
fine except perhaps a slight grainy tongue feel. It's a nice dark wildflower mix that's lightly filtered
and heated to around 100 deg F.

Any thoughts please,


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## Fivej (Apr 4, 2016)

Pictures would be very helpful here. My guess is the "mold" is actually wax,pollen propolis. If it is actually mold, I would suspect that the majority of the "honey" is actually sugar water. It is almost impossible for pure honey to support mold colonies. J


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## bob393 (Aug 4, 2015)

Unfortunately I skimmed off the gunk already so no pictures. The blobs didn't have the typical mold colony look to them, just kind of blobs. I don't have a refractometer so I can't check the water content but it sure looks like the honey I usually work with, tastes like it too except for the graininess. I don't get the typical moldy smell associated with mold or the alcohol smell I have read about either.


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## G3farms (Jun 13, 2009)

grainy texture is more than likely crystalized honey.


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

Honey does not go moldy - too acidic.
Most likely that was foam/trapped air released and/or mild fermentation gas that took place when you warmed your honey.
I would not worry about it.


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## bob393 (Aug 4, 2015)

G3farms said:


> grainy texture is more than likely crystalized honey.


This was more like fine black sand, I was able to skim all of it off the top of the bucket,
it seemed to be only the top quarter of an inch.



GregV said:


> Honey does not go moldy - too acidic.
> Most likely that was foam/trapped air released and/or mild fermentation gas that took place when you warmed your honey.
> I would not worry about it.


After mulling it over for the last 24 hours I agree. The flavor is right on the money and after skilling off the "sludge"
The mouth feel is back to normal so I bottled it. It never had an off smell like I would have expected. I knew 
that honey just doesn't mold as long as the moisture content is below 17% if I remember right. And this stuff 
never looked like classic defined mold colonies anyway.

Thanks for setting my mind at ease.


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

bob393 said:


> honey just doesn't mold as long as the moisture content is below 17%


Technically, honey does not mold at all regardless of the moisture content. 
Mold is an irrelevant term when it comes down to the honey.


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## bob393 (Aug 4, 2015)

Sounds good to me, it's all bottled now.


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