A series of articles "Honey FUN"

On the "flowering" of honey.
It is not surprising that the joint efforts of middlemen and unscrupulous beekeepers over the years have led to the result that the buyers are mostly forgotten not only the taste of the honey, but the way he looks. The usual thing, when winter and spring requires liquid honey, with aplomb and a connoisseur, stating that it is hard - "Sugar". Again, this is not surprising, years of hard disorientation bear fruit, and annoying TV commercial where "afrobelorus" winter pours "the honey of the native land", was remembered for a long time and strongly acted on the immature minds of, completing the picture. Still surprised that many beekeepers and traders are sometimes too little aware of the honey.

I want to talk about the phenomenon called the "flowering" of honey. This phenomenon is reflected in the fact that the quality of a mature honey poured into glass jars (most clearly visible), or any other container, after crystallisation almost always form on the surface, at the walls and in the mass white, like foam layer.
< br> I saw this phenomenon as soon as began to get honey, but because they do not doubt the quality of their honey and stored properly, the alarm is not caused. Especially because when filling cans, solid honey had to split up and to stamp, then, the plaque disappeared without any consequences. The first time the "flowering" of honey cause trouble when at wholesale, the buyer for the fact that I did not take off "glucose", lowered the price.

Killed not so much discount as a "scientific" explanation is that this is glucose. All mixed up in the trading house, and my theoretical knowledge and experience came into conflict with the explanation. Not that money stripped, so more and put a fool. Familiar, more experienced beekeeper, also with a view literate began to speculate on glucose, however, to the question, what is it - glucose. Another beekeeper argued that layer on the surface - it surfaced light and small impurities: wax, pollen, because of which then must ferment honey

. Of course, the lack of filtering and education, and such a layer. I receive and is itself, when working out the filtering process, and beekeepers have seen, through the primitive of filter sieve. However, this layer is usually colored because of pollen and wax, and a non-uniform surface is formed only on the surface.

White as a uniform layer is formed by the flood and in small containers carefully filtered and defend high-settler honey, even already started to crystallize ( "sit"), when the floating of impurities due to the viscosity it is not conducted. This layer is formed not only on the surface but also at the walls, sometimes the entire height of the tank, is formed even in the mass of honey in places where spills occur at contact with air. Fermentation of this layer does not cause.
So maybe it is glucose? And what then becomes of fructose, which in honey as a percentage of more?

For beekeepers practitioners are generally not very strong in theory, glucose and fructose - a monosaccharide - isomers. Isomers - a substance whose molecules have the same chemical formula, and differ only in the structure. Therefore, at the same molecular weight can not be such that glucose rises to the surface and sank to the bottom of fructose, the more viscous, began to thicken and harden honey. But in the Soviet and post-Soviet literature, there are also such an explanation, though they are certainly not describe the "flowering" on the surface of the cut or fracture crystallized honey, which can not be any "mixing" of fructose and glucose.

Explanation of "flowering", which do not contradict the previously acquired knowledge, found in the book "All about honey" Helmut Hormah and Korda Lyulmanna. I think it will be interesting to many, so here excerpts. "This phenomenon is especially characteristic of honeys with low humidity. It can be explained by the fact that the crystallization of sugar, there is a large number of small voids, which can not always evenly filled intergranular liquid. The air enters the voids, resulting in a top layer of honey turns white. "

Simply put, not enough, she was "drawn into" inside and the top layer as it dries out at low humidity intergranular fluid.
Then: "Honey flowering occurs most often when honeys with low humidity are kept in very dry areas. As a result, the honey surface moisture evaporates, and it takes place between the crystals air. " If we consider that the honey humidity 16 - 20%, and the moisture in very dry areas is rarely below 50% is hardly possible.

In practice, I saw the flowering takes place in a sealed container. In this case, the top layer is not dry by evaporation, namely due to the binding of water in the process of crystallization. From traces of the air at the packaging is almost impossible to get rid of and by virtue of gases air expands and fills repeatedly intercrystalline gaps.
The conclusion of the book: "Since the formation of a white layer under normal storage conditions is possible only on the surface of the honey with a low moisture content, its appearance can be seen as a sign of good quality"

. A similar nature is the opposite phenomenon is observed in high humidity areas. When such crystallization honeys binds less water than is present in the honey, as a result, the excess moisture is forced out. In this "liquid phase" elevated concentration of moisture, however crystallization does not occur, also because of the high humidity fermentation can start.
In accordance with the theory of experiments conducted, wishing to lose money and not wanting to listen to reproaches on product quality.

In the first embodiment, the humidity increased to 20% honey water dilution. In a second embodiment of the sprayer regularly sprinkled surface of honey from the beginning of zapustevaniya. Flowering did not occur, but it is understood that the next steps will be the embellishment, flavoring and complete degradation: claw stuck - the bird Magpie abyss. The priest did not approve of such experiences, recalling that the honey is not just a commodity product and, as a gift from God and should be treated accordingly, and succumbed to the temptation to have a hard time to stop. Therefore, for wholesale customers requiring shoot "glucose" - rented, whip butt not pereshibёsh

. By using this honey for themselves, it does not glucose, and a good honey, do not differ in taste (glucose two times less sweet than sugar). Beekeepers in the calm I say: flowering - a sign of good honey
. P.S. When it was written by my stuff, I got the article "Why wanders honey," reprinted "Belarusian pchalyarom" of Russian "Beekeeping" number 2 - 2009. Many in this article correct ideas, many do not agree with, but again, struck a chord glucose .

What is a "white plaque may occur during storage of honey with a water content of more than 19% at a temperature below 4 degrees Celsius." When the temperature rises to 20-25 degrees Celsius this first honey softens the moisture appears on the surface, in which the dissolved glucose (that's the white plaque). White plaque - a glucose solution. It appears only at 20-25 degrees Celsius. There, it appears at low temperatures. Where does the glucose on the surface of solid honey? Where does the moisture when the temperature rises? What is more soluble, glucose or fructose? There are many questions, the answers do not see.

If the reduced me above theory, let's call it the theory of "intercrystalline liquid", everything is explained, that "glucose" theory only confuses the picture.
Why is flowering at a temperature of 4 degrees Celsius occurs in any of crystallized honey, which is already the glucose can not move back and forth? H. Khor K. Lyulmann: "If the honey is stored at temperatures below 4 degrees Celsius, any crystallized honey can blossom, as occurs as a result of the process of volume reduction between the honey and the walls of the vessel enters the air space"
. What especially a temperature of 4 degrees Celsius?

For glucose - nothing for the water temperature is the maximum density and therefore the volumetric reduction. As a result, intercrystalline liquid starts to miss, is a process of "retraction", flowering occurs as described above. When the temperature increases the amount of moisture and excess intercrystalline liquid begins to be displaced, is also described.
Why plaque is white? Without going into the theory of optical density and refraction, look at the white snow. It consists of transparent crystals of water (ice), the gaps between them filled with air. Will begin to fill with water - snow white and will lose almost transparent
. With regard to glucose from the nectar of flowers, the flower nectar most prevalent sucrose - disaccharide processed (inverted) bees to monosaccharides - glucose and fructose.

Moreover, the glucose in the process of ripening of honey by enzymes can be converted to fructose, the process increases with increasing temperature, ie, the amount of glucose in the mature honey does not increase but decreases. Crystallization of honey starts with glucose, which was to fall down if the honey is liquid. But honey is very viscous substance, and there is a crystallization throughout the mass. As glucose is on the surface?

Generally - that crystallization processes are very complex, they affect many factors: temperature, the ratio of fructose, glucose and water, the presence of nucleation - pollen residues old comb honey and so on. All factors to consider difficult. But, in my opinion, the flowering of honey is logical and fully explain the theory of "intercrystalline liquid" and it is not necessary "to stir up glucose".

Authors: Roman Melnichenko, Anatoly Soroko