Jean-Louis Tu <[log in to unmask]>:
>Does someone know details about heating of honey, namely:
>
> -what is the temperature, and the processing time?

Tom:
In the U.S., honey is commonly heated to 130 degrees F to filter it. Raw honey
comb is "uncapped", and placed in an extractor, a small centrifuge, to remove
the liquid honey from the comb. The result of this process is a mix of liquid
honey, beeswax, and foreign matter (like dead bees). This must be filtered to
remove the foreign matter (and the wax).

The only way to do this without heating the honey is to use a gravity filtration
system. This is slow, and our culture wants it done now. So the honey is often
heated, to approximately the temperature given above, so that it will quickly
flow through a filter.

Most "raw" honey sold in the US has actually been heated. The only way to be
sure about whether it is heated or not, is to buy directly from a beekeeper,
and ask him/her.

Jean-Louis Tu <[log in to unmask]>:
> -how can I recognize a heated honey from a raw honey?

Tom:
Good question. I don't have a clear answer, but can relate a few things. A
beekeeper told me that unheated honey crystallizes quickly, and the crystals
are very small. Heated honey crystallizes slowly, and the crystals are often
(relatively) large. An exception to this is what is referred to as "spun"
honey: clover honey treated to crystallize, and processed to guarantee small
crystals (heated, but it still tastes good...)

Because it is gravity filtered and unheated, truly raw honey may still contain
a small amount of beeswax, which will float to the top of the jar. This is
something you can look for. In  heated  honey the wax seems to be emulsified
into the honey, and it does not separate out. In crystallized raw honey, the
separated beeswax may look like a "ring" at the top of the jar.

Another friend, who is quite the honey "gourmet", claims that he can tell by
taste if a honey has been heated. Heated honey tastes "flat" or "cooked",
according to him. As I/we do not have the same taste sensitivity as he reports,
his advice is not as useful as one would like.

Regards,
Tom Billings
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