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Life Tips 01/07/2025 14:45

Flip a honey bottle to instantly tell if it's real or fake? Here are honey selection tips sellers hope you never learn

Knowing the 6 tips below will help you choose good honey, becoming a smart consumer in a market filled with real and fake products.
Honey has long been referred to as "liquid gold" due to its sweet taste and rich nutrient profile. It provides quick energy, aids digestion, soothes sore throats, and possesses natural antibacterial properties. However, due to its high value and widespread popularity, honey has become a target for counterfeiters who dilute it to profit.
Fake honey is not just about adding sugar syrup; it may also contain artificial colors, flavors, and harmful chemicals. Consuming such products can not only diminish the nutritional value but also pose serious health risks, particularly for individuals with weakened immune systems, those with underlying conditions, children, or the elderly – groups that often rely on honey.
To help you avoid falling into the trap of low-quality honey, here are 6 simple yet effective tips to differentiate real honey from fake. Some of these tricks are even secrets that sellers would rather you didn't know!

  1. Flip or Shake the Honey Bottle
    This is a simple but reliable trick. When you shake or flip the honey jar, observe the bubbles and the movement of the honey. Real honey typically has small, fine bubbles that rise slowly and dissolve gradually, and it drips thickly and slowly. In contrast, fake or diluted honey produces larger bubbles, fewer of them, which rise quickly and burst easily. The consistency of fake honey is usually watery and runs like water.

  2. Check the Color of the Honey
    Real honey can come in different colors, depending on the type of flower from which the bees gather nectar – ranging from pale yellow to amber to dark brown. The important factor is its natural transparency and slight sheen when held up to light. Fake honey tends to have an unnaturally bright color, may appear cloudy or completely clear, and sometimes shows signs of sedimentation or separation after a short period. These are indicators that the honey may contain added sugar syrup or chemicals.

  3. Observe the Viscosity and Threading
    For this test, simply take a clean stick or spoon, dip it into the honey, and slowly pull it out. Real honey will form a long, continuous thread that doesn’t break easily, and when it drips, it forms distinct round droplets. Fake honey, on the other hand, tends to be runnier, does not form a thread easily, and drips quickly without holding its shape. Real honey is thicker and can last for a long time without changing in quality.

  4. Test the Thinness with Water or Tissue Paper
    You can also test the viscosity of honey with water or tissue paper. To do this, drop a few drops of honey into a glass of cold water. If it's real honey, it will sink to the bottom and maintain its shape, while fake honey will disperse quickly in the water. Next, dab some honey on a dry tissue. Real honey will not spread widely as it has a high viscosity, while diluted or chemically altered honey will spread quickly, like syrup.

  5. Smell the Honey
    Real honey typically has a subtle, natural fragrance that reflects the type of flower nectar the bees used. This aroma is gentle and evaporates quickly. Fake honey, on the other hand, often has a sharp, overly sweet, or artificial smell that can be unpleasant. If you open a jar of honey and notice an odd, overpowering fragrance or none at all, this could indicate that the honey has been flavored artificially or processed with chemicals.

  6. Burn Test with Fire
    You can use a matchstick or a metal tool to test the honey with fire. When heated, real honey will only warm up and retain its natural fragrance without igniting. However, fake honey containing chemicals, industrial syrups, or colorants may catch fire, produce sizzling sounds, and release a burnt smell. Not only is this a sign of counterfeit products, but it also poses a potential risk of poisoning from additives or impurities.

  7. Compare the Price of Honey
    This is a simple yet helpful method when purchasing honey. Genuine honey cannot be "too cheap." The process of harvesting honey requires significant effort from both the bees and the beekeepers, so a price that seems unusually low should raise suspicion. Natural or wild honey is typically more expensive, especially if it does not contain any added substances. If a 1-liter jar of honey is being sold for just a few dollars, it is almost certain that it’s either diluted or a low-quality industrial product.

By applying these simple tips, you can make sure you are getting genuine honey and avoid the risks associated with counterfeit products.

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