Honey is a very healthy and tasty product that people have been consuming since ancient times. The first image of honey extraction by ancient people, which is 8,000 years old, is found in the Cuevas de la Araña, or Spider Caves in Valencia, Spain. Obviously, at that time, extracting honey was not an easy task and required a lot of preparation and courage. People had to climb onto rocks or trees where bees’ nests were located and remove the honeycomb from the nest without any protective clothing. The bees were obviously not happy about it, so I think it was not without bee stings. In those ancient times, honey storage was not a problem, as honey was usually consumed immediately after its extraction.
Nowadays everything has become much easier, and to get honey you don’t need to climb rocks or trees, but just buy honey in a shop or at a farmer’s market. But the question of storing honey remains relevant, and we will try to understand in what conditions and in what container is best to store honey, so that this wonderful, natural food product for a long time pleased you with its flavour and brought benefits.
Honey storage conditions
Humidity
Honey is a hygroscopic product and has the ability to absorb moisture from the outside environment. Therefore, honey should not be stored in a humid place, as it will absorb moisture and its excess will cause it to ferment and spoil. Therefore, it is necessary to tightly close the lid of the container where the honey is stored and avoid humidity in the place of storage.
Sunlight
Direct sunlight destroys the antimicrobial properties, namely the enzyme inhibin, a natural preservative that prevents spoilage of the product. Therefore, you should avoid sunlight and store honey in a dark place.
Smell
Honey absorbs odours very well. It is not recommended to store honey near sources of strong odours such as petrol, paraffin, paints, salted fish, onions and garlic.
Temperature
The optimum temperature for storing honey is between -5 and +20 °C. Heating is more dangerous for honey than cooling. Heating above 40°C leads to the formation of oxymethylfurfural. This is a contaminant that is formed when water splits from fructose and other sugars. It is practically absent in fresh product, but in heated honey it is present to a significant extent. By the way, the oxymethylfurfural test allows you to determine whether the honey has been overheated. If you put honey in a cold place with a temperature below zero, it crystallises very quickly and becomes very hard, but it does not lose its useful properties.
Thus, it is best to store honey in a dry, cool place, protected from direct sunlight and tightly covered with a lid against outside odours.
Honey storage containers
Glassware
This is the best option for storing honey. Because honey is a biologically active product, but with glass it does not react in any way. It is important only to close with a tight lid to prevent moisture and third-party odours. It is also important to keep out of sunlight, which glass will not protect against for obvious reasons.
Ceramic ware
Stoneware is a good container for storing honey. It is impervious to sunlight, moisture and maintains a constant temperature.
Wooden containers
Wooden containers are also suitable for storing honey. It is important that the humidity of a wooden container does not exceed 16-20%. It is better to treat the inside with wax. Otherwise, the wood will absorb moisture from the honey and may change its lavor. The best suited are linden, willow, birch, beech. But dishes made of oak for storing honey is not suitable, because it can change the colour of honey, which will absorb tannins. Coniferous woods are also unsuitable, as they will transfer their odour and resins to the honey.
Food-grade plastic
Plastic for utensils must necessarily be food-grade. Such plastics are labelled PEHD (polyethylene high density polyethylene) with the number 2 in the triangle, or PP (polypropylene) with the number 5 in the triangle.
Stainless steel, aluminium
It is possible to store honey in metal dishes made of stainless steel or aluminium. Without damage to the surface. It is recommended not to store honey in such dishes for a long time, because in case of long storage the honey may react.
Iron, zinc-coated, tin, copper, lead utensils
It is strictly forbidden to keep honey in contact with iron, zinced, tin, copper, lead utensils or their alloys, as honey will enter into a chemical reaction with them and poisonous substances will be formed.
How to store honey in honeycomb
The storage of honeycomb honey is almost the same as storing regular liquid honey.
– Avoid humidity, as honey is hygroscopic. Although the honeycomb caps protect it, excessive moisture can still spoil the honeycomb honey.
– Avoid direct sunlight. This will cause the honey to lose all of its beneficial properties.
– Do not store honeycomb honey near products that emit a strong odour: petrol, paraffin, paints, salted fish, onions, garlic.
– Store honey in honeycomb at temperatures from -5 to +20 °C. Do not allow heating above 40 ° C. This will lead to the loss of all the useful qualities of honey and the release of oxymethylfurfural.
How long can honey be stored?
Usually, manufacturers state that honey has a shelf life of 1 to 2 years if the storage rules are followed. But in fact, if you keep honey well covered, in a dry, cool, dark place in the right container, it can be stored for many years. For example, the oldest honey on earth found near the village of Sakire in the Borjomi region is 5,500 years old.
FAQ
It is best to store honey in a glass container with a tightly closed lid and a place protected from the sun.
It is best to store honey in a glass container with a tightly closed lid and a place protected from the sun. With an optimal storage temperature of -5 and +20 °C
Usually manufacturers indicate a storage time of 1-2 years, if you follow the rules of storing. But if you keep honey in a cool, dry, dark place in a glass container with a closed lid, it can be stored for many years. For example, the oldest honey found in the world is 5500 years old. It was found in the Borjomi region of Georgia.
We can store honey in steel container. But it is recommended to do so for a short period of time. Because honey is a biologically active product and over time it can react with metal.
It is best to store honey in a dry, dark place in a glass vessel with a tightly closed lid with a storage temperature of -5 and +20 °C.
Raw honey can be preserved in the same way as regular honey. Store it in a cool, dry, dark place at -5 and 20 °C in a glass container with a tightly closed lid.
Honey does not react with specially marked food plastic. Plastic for utensils must necessarily be food-grade. Such plastics are labelled PEHD (polyethylene high density polyethylene) with the number 2 in the triangle, or PP (polypropylene) with the number 5 in the triangle.
Honey can be stored in the refrigerator. This is a good place to store it.
At home, honey should be stored in a dry, dark, cool place in a glass container with a tightly closed lid at a temperature in the range of -5 and 20°C.
Fresh honey can be stored in the same way as regular honey. Store it in a cool, dry, dark place at -5 and 20 °C in a glass container with a tightly closed lid.
Direct sunlight destroys the antimicrobial properties, namely the enzyme inhibin, a natural preservative that prevents spoilage of the product. Therefore, you should avoid sunlight and store honey in a dark place.
One of the best containers for storing honey is glass. Food-grade plastic is also suitable for storing honey. But it must be labelled PEHD (polyethylene high density polyethylene) with the number 2 in the triangle, or PP (polypropylene) with the number 5 in the triangle.
Honeycomb honey can be stored in the same way as regular liquid honey. The ideal place for storage is a closed glass container in a dry, dark, cool place.
