Subject: Why does honey crystallize?

From: [email-masked] (Przemek Klosowski)
Date: Mon, 25 Apr 1994 15:14:00 GMT

Hi,

I noticed that the honey that I get in the US (whether commercial or
from friendly beekeepers) never crystallizes, but instead stays clear
and liquid). On the other hand honey that my family sends from Poland
occasionally, as well as the imported commercial honey from Germany
often phase-separates, with some clear liquid on the top and the
grainy crystallized volume (comprising usually 60-80%) below.

A local beekeeper said that this is because of added sugar, but I was told
that at least my Polish honey was not treated with sugar. Taste-wise, I
like the crystallized version, but this may be simply acquired.

Does anyone have a suggestion as to the cause of this difference?

--
			przemek klosowski ([email-masked])
			Reactor Division (bldg. 235), E111
			National Institute of Standards and Technology
			Gaithersburg, MD 20899,      USA

			(301) 975 6249

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From: [email-masked] (Anthony Wallis)
Date: Mon, 25 Apr 1994 23:09:30 GMT

Przemek Klosowski ([email-masked]) notices 
> that the honey that I get in the US (whether commercial or
> and liquid).

Honey is a supersaturated solution of sugars.
To quote my "Bible" (Dadant, The Hive and the Honey Bee, 1975) :
"  A supersaturated solution is one that contains more dissolved material
   than can normally remain in solution.  Such solutions are more or less
   unstable and in time will return to the stable saturated condition with
   the excesive material comming out of solution.   .. Crystallizing
   tendancy is related to honey composition and storage conditions;
   some honeys never crystallize while others will do so within a few
   days of extraction, or even in the comb.
   ... Several attempts have been made to express the liability of a honey
   to granulate .. White (1961) has shown that the dextrose-to-water ratio
   .. is more closely related toa the granulation tendancy .. than other
   indices ..    D/W ratios of 1.70 or lower appear to be associated with
   nongranulated honey, and values of 2.10 and higher predict rapid
   completion of granulation.
   ..
   White, J.W. Jr.  (1961) Gl. Bee Cult. 89:230-233
"

> On the other hand honey that my family sends from Poland
> often phase-separates ..

--
[email-masked] = Tony Wallis, York University, North York, Canada.

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From: [email-masked] (Daniel D. Todd)
Date: Tue, 26 Apr 1994 08:39:44 GMT

>grainy crystallized volume (comprising usually 60-80%) below.
I'm pretty sure this is not due to added sugar. I just picked up ~50lbs of 
honey from the local bee-keepers here and it was mostly crystallized.  I 
thought it was just a matter of the water evaporating out until it became 
thick enough to start srystallizing.  I think there may be the need for nuclei 
and micro filtering may reduce the size of available nuclei. If this is 
correct a lot more water would have to evap. before crystallization.

cheers,
Dan
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From: [email-masked] (Karel Bokhorst)
Date: 27 Apr 1994 11:02:11 GMT

>Does anyone have a suggestion as to the cause of this difference?
 Hi ,

I am not a bee-keeper (my father is) but i thought that it had to do
with the type of honey.
Depending on what the main plant or tree was where the honey is coming from
it will either completely cristalize or stay clear.

I know for sure that my father was very keen on getting the honey out before it cristalizes already in the hive when his bees flew to heather plants (Erica..)

Karel Bokhorst

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From: [email-masked] (Michael Moroney)
Date: Tue, 26 Apr 1994 06:38:58 GMT

> Does anyone have a suggestion as to the cause of this difference?

One factor is the type of flower the honey comes from.  Goldenrod honey
tends to crystallize more than many other common types.

-Mike

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From: [email-masked] (Adam Finkelstein)
Date: Tue, 26 Apr 1994 11:24:34 GMT

If you had gotten honey from western Virginia it would have crystallized!
Granulation seems to be correlated to floral source and how the honey is
processed. Heating honey lowers its granuulation rate, so packers who process
large amounts of honey tend to have clear honey. Think about it, imagine
dealing with tons of honey an hour? If it is hot, it will move more quickly
and you can get more processed.
So this honey doesn't granulate.
 Honey from beekeepers who extract theirs and package it without heating
it granulates more readily. Couple this with floral sources that have high
granulation from the sugar combination in their nectar, and you get
crystallized honey.
 Thistle and Knapweed honey, the Shenandoah Valley's varietal honey
crystallizes readily. Known as "sugaring."
Adam
-- 
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