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Sometimes beekeepers can come across green honey. This greening has nothing to do with the appearance of propolis impurities in it. Therefore, beekeepers and consumers of this delicacy are interested in whether it is possible to use dark honey with a greenish tint and why this happens.
Reasons for greening honey
If there are no plants producing nectar nearby and the bees lack nectar, they begin to collect plant excretions, which also contain sugar. The honeydew treat just has a greenish tint. In this case, the characteristic greenish tint of honey is not a sign of spoilage.
Green nectar is almost always bitter. Its structure and consistency is slightly thicker. This is due to the presence of dextrin-like chemical compounds in its composition. They somewhat change the taste properties of honey, which does not affect its healing properties.
Green honey
The presence of a greenish tint is also explained by the fact that the bee took nectar from sweet clover, fireweed, and rape. Honey is also dark olive in color, if the bees took nectar from the burdock thickets.
The most beautiful green shade of nectar will be if a bee has collected it in the forest. This delicacy helps people after prolonged illness. It restores strength after surgical interventions, anemia, leukemia. A pine or spruce delicacy contains a huge amount of phytoncides, which contribute to a significant change in its taste.
Darkening of honey during storage
With long-term storage of nectar at temperatures above 20 degrees, it changes its color. The same defect is observed when it is in an aluminum container. Many lovers of bee delicacies do not know why honey darkens during storage, and make big mistakes in doing so.
Darkening honey
Sometimes a dark liquid appears on the surface. This happens if the product contains a large amount of glucose.
A change in light color also occurs during long-term storage of beekeeping products, even under normal conditions for it. This is due to the fact that characteristic chemical reactions take place in it.
Darkening is triggered by an increase in glucose oxidase, an enzyme produced by the pharyngeal glands. The further the nectar source is from the hive, the longer it will stay in the bee crop and be enriched with enzymes. This explains why honey is black.
Nectar contains amino acids that react with sugar, furfural and oxymethylfurfural. In this case, substances with a characteristic dark color are formed - melanoidins. It is from them that the honey gradually darkens. The color change does not in any way affect the useful properties of the product. As the useful amino acids in honey are used up, the process of its darkening slows down somewhat. Knowing why honey turns black helps keep it fresh for a long time.
Knowing why honey turns black helps keep it fresh for a long time.
Why honey has become liquid
Sometimes there is a situation when bee flower honey in a jar has changed its structure and consistency: below it is crystallized, and above it is liquid. One possible reason for this is improper storage at high temperatures.
Other causes of drug stratification are:
- An immature product may have entered the jar. This means that the water content in it exceeds 20%.If stored incorrectly, it can ferment. If the product is kept at room temperature, it will not deteriorate.
- Sweet medicine quickly stratifies if different varieties are mixed in the jar. The properties of nectar will be different even if it was pumped out under different weather conditions.
- Temperature fluctuation in excess of 40 degrees. In this case, its composition changes significantly.
- Layered honey is often counterfeit. Inverted carbohydrates, which are in a liquid state for a long time, can float to the surface. The counterfeit product has many unnatural impurities: foam, turbidity, etc.
To prevent honey from stratifying, it must be stored at room temperature in a hermetically sealed container. The best containers for storing it are glass, ceramics.
Why honey has become liquid
Dark honey
Honey that is brown, almost black in color, will be produced by those bees that collect honeydew and honeydew from conifers. Very dark honey is obtained from the sweet secretions of spruce, pine, fir and larch. Their presence gives an answer to the question why honey is very dark.
Honey is also called black, collected from the black cumin of the highlands of Egypt. This is one of the best medicinal products available.
Many owners ask the question why the honey in the jar has darkened. This means that it was stored incorrectly, which is why some of its amino acids reacted with specific enzymes.
Dark honey is much healthier than ordinary honey. It contains much more manganese, iron and cobalt. Such a product does not crystallize, but it is much more difficult to store it. It can ferment, so the best place to store it is in the refrigerator.
Dark honey is very useful
The characteristic medicinal properties of a black beekeeping product:
- improves blood composition in case of anemia and leukemia;
- helps with colds and viral pathologies;
- helps to restore the body after chemotherapy and surgery;
- has a pronounced bactericidal and antiseptic effect;
- when applied externally, green honey perfectly disinfects wounds and cuts;
- replenishes potassium reserves.
Knowing why honey darkens helps preserve its beneficial properties. If you keep honey in proper conditions, it will not change its properties. Certain varieties of black sweetness are very valuable.
