These days, getting original honey becomes a difficult task as most honey we see today in the market is Fake ones.
The scarcity of good honey has made it possible for people who have a selfish mindset to mix up many mixtures in the name of original honey to extort the members of the public.
Most people find it difficult to dictate the difference between the original honey and fake ones, and that is why they fall victim to those that sell adulterated honey.
Below are ways you can identify good and fake honey before you buy them:
1. Test it with your thumb
The first experiment you need to carry out in the market before buying your honey.
It is pretty straightforward to do, and results show immediately, all you need to do is to dip your thumb inside a small quantity of the honey, then know if you can spill it like every other liquid content, then if the honey spill, it means that the honey is fake.
Originally, honey was supposed to be thick, and it did not have any reason to be watery or drip.
2. Use a matchstick
Another trusted test you can apply to know if your honey is genuine is to dip the whole of your matchbox in a smaller quantity of the honey you want to buy, then light it up.
After you must have done that, if the honey blaze up or light up, it means that the honey is original.
In a situation whereby the honey does show any sign of flare, you should know that the honey is contaminated.
As a buyer who wants to get the original honey, take note of the sign and check it out whenever you want to test honey or buy it in the market.
3. Use water to test it.
You can also access your honey by putting a slight drop of the honey in a glass of water.
This method includes adding a smaller quantity of the honey in a glass of water, just as started earlier. If the honey begins to dissolve or mix with the water, it simply means the honey is fake and cannot serve any purpose.
In a situation where the honey settles down or goes down to stay in the bottom of the glass cup, it automatically indicates and guarantees the authenticity of the honey.
If you experience this, all you need to do is buy the honey immediately, although the price may be slightly different from others.
4. Pour honey in a paper.
Another method to test the originality of honey is by dropping it on a piece of paper.
The testing method involves dropping a small portion of honey in a towel, napkin, or blotting paper, observing the honey, and finding out if the honey solidifies or if the material has absolved it.
If the honey remains too concentrated and does not dissolve on the paper, it means that it’s good. However, if reverse becomes the case, meaning that the honey absorbs the paper, it means that it’s not a good one as such. You don’t have to purchase it.
5. Apply vinegar test
Vinegar is a sure way of testing if the honey bee is fake or genuine before buying it.
The sour-testing liquid, vinegar, is a good substance from dilute alcoholic beverages, including wine, beer, or cider.
You can do the test by mixing honey with vinegar and water; after that, take a close look at your mixture and notice any change.
If your mixture begins to foam, know that the honey is fake, but if it does not foam, it means the honey is original.
6. Check it using a cotton pad or candlewick.
You can use this method when checking to know if half of the honey is water, and it means that you can only use this method if you want to know seller added much water to it.
In other words, if another substance apart from water is added to the honey, it won’t dictate it.
To achieve the honey bee test using this method, dip a cotton pad or the cotton wick of a candle in honey and shake it off properly.
After you most have shaken it well, light the cotton pad or the wick depending on the one you are using, and then check if it burns or if it will make a cracking sound.
If it burns, the honey does not contain any water, but that does not signify that the honey is genuine, so take note of this.
In a situation where the cotton pad or wick refuses to burn, it means that the honey contains much water.
7. Attempt a bread test
Some may wonder if this method is trusted, but the truth remains that it’s genuine provided that you followed the principle very well.
You can try this method by only applying your honey to a slice of bread that you want to eat, and if the honey is authentic, it will become crispy and firm on top of the bread, but if the honey has some impurities, it will make the bread wet and soft.
8. Lick the honey
To know if honey is good or impure, you can taste it with your tongue by licking it.
You can easily touch it on your tongue. If the honey is original, the taste will vanish in some minute, but you disregard it. It will remain because of the presence of sugar in it.
9. Check its thickness
One can also know if honey is genuine by actually taking a careful look at the honey to see if it is thick or not.
If honey is high in viscosity, it means that it is good. Otherwise, it is not original.
10. Access the label and color of the honey
You can also find out if honey is the real one or a fake one by carefully going through the label and the color of the honey.
You can do this by knowing if the honey is solidified, which means that it will look like granulated sugar and not watery. Once you check out of this, you will find out the answer by yourself without being told.
How do I know my honey is natural?
You can find out if your honey is natural through many methods. One of the methods includes filling a glass with water then adding a spoon of honey to the glass. If the honey is fake, it will dissolve easily in the water, but it will stay in the bottom of the glass if it is not.
How can you tell the difference between natural honey and artificial honey?
The difference is that the formal, natural honey, does not dissolve in water while the latter [artificial honey] dissolves in water.
How do I know which honey to buy?
To know the best honey to buy, all you need to do is check the honey’s label and see if there is “raw honey” on it before buying. Although the label may mislead you some time, at times, it contributes to a large extent to guild you.
Bottom Line
Try as much not to fall victim to the hands of those who deal or sell fake honey. The above-listed method of checking out the natural honey should be your guide and reference purpose each time you want to buy honey or experiment on honey.
Once you follow these methods, there will be no need to worry over fake honey again since you can easily dictate it with just a twinkle of an eye.
