Honey Storage Tips

Honey Storage Tips
While one of the greatest facts on honey storage is that it
doesn't spoil even with no preservatives and additives,
liquid honey is susceptible to physical and chemical
changes during storage; it tends to darken and lose some of
its aroma and flavor. Over time, liquid honey also tends to
naturally crystallise and become lumpy. Crystallisation is
easily reversible and does not affect the taste and quality
of the honey at all, although it changes its appearance.
Hence, for commercial reasons, a certain shelf life is
often stated on the honey bottles in the shop.

I often read from honey storage tips that honey can be kept
at room temperature and should not be stored in too cold
nor too hot place. The problem here is it can be confusing
because room temperature varies from country to country!
For instance, where I live, room temperature sometimes
could be as high as 35°C but I do not refrigerate any
of my honey as cold temperatures would speed up the process
of granulation. Also, the rate of crystallisation varies
for the different types of honey. Tupelo honey and Acacia
honey, for instance, tend to stay liquid and is able to
resist crystallization better than other types of honey,
whereas Lavender honey rushes to crystallise. Honey that
has been heated to 130 or 140 degrees will remain liquid
for a few months.

I would advise honey to be stored at a temperature of
21°C to 27°C or 70°F to 80°F in a dry
cupboard, make sure that the cap is on tight since honey
tends to absorb moisture from the environment, which can
lower its quality. Also store honey away from direct
sunlight as it could affect its properties. And this is the
reason why some honey come in dark containers. However,
these dark containers do not allow consumers to judge the
color, viscosity, clarity, and crytallisation of the honey.
Also, glass packaging is preferred by some people because
glass is neutral and doesn't react to honey and alter its
quality. It's easy to restore granulated honey to its
natural state, for instance you could put grainy honey on
hot toast, the granules will melt as you eat. You can also
place a granulated jar over hot water (about 50-60°C),
as soon as the granules are dissolved, remove the honey
from the heat and let it cool as quickly as possible.
Remember, never boil honey!

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Ruth Tan is the owner of the website Benefits of Honey at
http://www.benefits-of-honey.com which is an immensely
rich, quality resource on honey and its benefits, and a
plethora of health-related issues.