FAQ What does unheated mean? Heat can be very damaging to honey. Even relatively low temperatures can nullify many of the natural antimicrobial properties of honey. Currently, 45°C is considered the maximum safe temperature at which to handle honey without causing damage. This temperature is enough to melt, filter and bottle honey and is the industry norm when claiming that a honey is unheated. Honeys other than Manuka derive their antimicrobial activity from hydrogen peroxide which is naturally occurring within the honey and derives from enzymes secreted by the bees. Heat can rapidly denature these enzymes, leading to the cessation of hydrogen peroxide production. Prolonged heat exposure also causes the production of hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) a liver toxin and will eventually also lead to some caramelization of the sugars in honey. Creamed honey, to make the answer more confusing, is handled at a maximum of 32°C and, if you are sceptical of the benefits of clear honey claiming to be unheated, creamed honey may be your answer. We currently cream most of our Manuka honey because it is inclined to crystallize very rapidly otherwise and its crystals are wont to be very grainy. Creaming breaks the crystals down to smaller sizes and also breaks the bonds between crystals, thus ensuring the honey stays soft enough to spread with a creamy consistency. What does raw mean? Raw means different things to different people. To us at Grumpy Bee it means we cold extract our honey and filter it through the coarsest filter that we can use to remove unwanted detritus from our products without changing any of the natural properties. To clarify our honey we rely heavily on a settling period which allows impurities to either sink or float depending on their density, leaving clear honey in the middle for bottling and sale. Some impurities get through, you can’t have it both ways, but everything in the honey came from the hive. If you find something with wings and legs in the bottle and it offends you, get in touch with us for resolution. Why is raw and unheated honey different from supermarket honey? Supermarket honey has usually been flash heated to temperatures above 70°C to prevent crystallization on the supermarket shelf. Some, especially those that have been moved between different quarantine jurisdictions, will have been pasteurized. Any antimicrobial activity that would normally derive from a hydrogen peroxide component is rapidly lost and as a consequence, supermarket honey often does not have the health benefits you would expect. Manuka honey is an exception to this as its antibacterial activity derives from a different pathway which is not impacted by heat as long it is used judiciously, although abusive temperatures will still damage it. Fakery and adulteration of honey are also now a huge global problem and a good percentage of supermarket honey is suspected of being adulterated at best and fake in some instances. Some honey passed off as Manuka has also been found to be from non-Manuka sources. The profits in this endeavour are large enough to be right up there with Rolex watches and Gucci handbags and fake honey is proving a very difficult problem to solve. In this fight, Grumpy Bee does not regard other boutique or single origin honey producers as competitors, we are all in the same boat as fake honey depresses prices and tarnishes the industry. Buying directly from your ‘honey guy’ is the best insurance against this problem. Why is Manuka honey so expensive? There are several reasons why Manuka honey is expensive. Mainly, it is difficult to produce. Tasmania has at least 8 different species of Manuka including Leptospermum scoparium, the source of New Zealand Manuka honey. The nectar of 6 of these 8 is known to produce Dihydroxyacetone (DHA) the precursor of methylglyoxal (MGO) which makes Manuka honey unique. Of these, 4 are known to produce more than Leptospermum scoparium, which is the industry standard. Many of these species occur in unison with overlapping flowering sequences. To produce good Manuka requires that the correct species flower at the correct time in sufficient abundance. Good yields only occur every few years and not always from the desired species. The conversion of DHA to MGO takes time, up to three years at ambient temperature in Tasmania and not all Manuka will continue to improve in this way. Like wine, some vintages have the potential to continue to improve whereas those that don’t contain enough DHA are best sold early. Essentially, the planets need to align to produce good Manuka honey. Lastly, Manuka honey requires frequent testing, which tests are expensive but necessary to track the rate of change in the MGO and DHA levels in order to confidently rate the minimum level of MGO on the label. This is just as important for producers as it is for consumers. A further constraint and one that puts many apiarists off producing Manuka honey, is its physical characteristics, it is often thixotropic, forming a gel in the honey comb which makes the honey very slow to extract and cumbersome to handle. Finally, there are the proven medical qualities unique to Manuka in terms of their efficacy as well as shelf life. Generally speaking, it is easier to produce Manuka honey of low MGO rating than it is of high rating with high rating Manuka honey only occurring every 4 years or so. Consequently, expect to pay a premium for all Manuka honey but especially that having an MGO rating over 250 ppm. Does honey go bad? No is the short answer. Honey found in Egyptian pyramids is still perfectly edible. As a food, honey has an indefinite shelf life and under Australian regulations it is not necessary to print a use by date on honey. The longer answer is more complex. The antimicrobial properties of raw honey do diminish over time. Non Manuka honey will lose its hydrogen peroxide eventually and even Manuka Honey will ultimately begin to lose its MGO when there is insufficient DHA left to support conversion to MGO. This has led some Manuka honey producers to put a 2 year shelf life on their labels. Crystallization is considered by many to be a sign that honey has gone bad but, on the contrary, crystallization is often a sign that honey has not been abused or overheated. Raw unheated honey will always crystallize eventually. The rate at which a honey crystallizes is dependent on its floral source in the first instance, specifically what the ratio of glucose to fructose is, with higher glucose content favouring rapid crystallization whereas high fructose suppresses crystallization. Widely fluctuating diurnal temperatures also favour crystallization. Immersing the jar in warm water will usually remedy this if crystallized honey is not to your liking. Does honey need to stay in the fridge? No, although in hot climates it will make it thicker and if you have an ant problem, the fridge is an option to keep them away. Refrigeration halts the conversion of DHA to MGO in Manuka honey. On the plus side, it also will arrest the deterioration of MGO in Manuka honey so may be a way of preserving its integrity indefinitely. How does the MGO rating of Manuka honey compare to the NPA (non peroxide activity) or UMF (unique manuka factor) scale? There are many conversion tables published on the internet but you may also find this useful: MGO in ppm NPA 85 5 260 10 515 15 830 20 1200 25
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