Is Your Honey Pure Or Adulterated? Here Are 5+ Easy Ways To Check

by John Griffith
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Honey is the food version of liquid gold. It’s sweet, rich in antioxidants, low in fats and cholesterol, great for the immune system, and it’s a healthier alternative to refined sugar. Not only that but it has many health benefits and healing properties. Consuming a bit of honey daily is a great way to get its benefits. However, in order to get the most from this superfood, it is very important it is pure. When something is adulterated, it means another substance has been added. This can make the honey poorer in quality and sometimes harmful. That’s why it’s best to check is your honey pure or adulterated. You can do this easily at home. Here are 5 easy methods to try out.

Consuming a bit of honey daily is a great way to get its benefits

honey being dripped onto pancakes

Is Your Honey Pure Or Adulterated?

Keep in mind that honey comes in many colors and thicknesses which may spotting the fakes out harder. The thickness of the honey depends a lot on how humid the region it is from. Dry, colder weather can make thicker honey, whereas humid weather creates runnier honey with more moisture content. That is why some of these tests may not be as accurate, as others.

The thickness of the honey depends a lot on how humid the region it is from

beekeepers holding a honey comb

Vinegar

Vinegar has plenty of uses. It also comes in handy here. This method is really easy and takes minimum effort. All you need to do is dilute some apple cider vinegar in water. After that, just drop some honey into it. If the mixture starts to foam, then the honey isn’t real.

This method is really easy and takes minimum effort

is your honey pure or adulterated apple cider vinegar

Caramelize The Honey

Take a bit of the honey and put it into the microwave. Let it run for a couple of minutes. If the honey is real, it will start to caramelize. If it is not, it will start to bubble and turn into a foamy substance.

Take a bit of the honey and put it into the microwave

honey getting scooped by spoonHeat Method

For this honey all you will need is a matchstick. Take one and dip it completely in honey. Then try to light it up. If you strike it on the matchbox, and it lights, then your honey is real. If not, it is fake. This depends more on the moisture content of the honey, so it may not be entirely accurate.

Dip the matchstick in honey

matchstick on black background

Honey And Water

This is one of the easiest methods out there to find out is your honey pure or adulterated. Real, pure honey won’t dissolve so easily in water. It also won’t dissolve completely. If a white trace is left that means your honey was laced with extra glucose or sugar.

Real, pure honey won’t dissolve so easily in water

woman putting honey in bowl qith milk in background

Let The Ants Have It

It is believed that ants do not enjoy real, thick, pure honey. If you want to find out if your product is the real deal and bio, all you need to do is leave some in a place that gathers ants. If they don’t seem to be going crazy for it, then it’s real. However, there is no evidence to back this up.

It is believed that ants do not enjoy real, thick, pure honey

is your honey pure or adulterated two ants in leaf

Egg Yolks

Take the yolk of one egg. Then mix it in with some honey. If the product you bought is real, then the yolk will change color. The color will be similar to that when you have boiled it.

Mix honey and an egg yolk

honey in a big jar

Refrigerate It

In some cases, adulterated honey that has been put into the fridge will start to crystallize. Real, pure honey – will not. The “fake” honey may also form a separated white layer on top. This is the added sugar.

Adulterated honey that has been put into the fridge will start to crystallize

fridge with a bunch of stickers

Let The Professionals Handle It

One of the surest methods in finding is your honey pure or adulterated is to let a professional lab have a sample of it. This method definitely isn’t the easiest, but it will give you the surest answer. If you have food laboratories around, take a sample and get it tested.

Let a professional lab have a sample of it

honey dripping from a spoon

Thumb Test

Put a drop of honey onto your thumb. Stay still. If it starts dripping and spreading all around your thumb then it is adulterated. Real honey is thick and won’t drip that easily. However, this is not the best test. Different honey can have thickness.

If it starts dripping and spreading all around your thumb then it is adulterated

a hand into thumbs up pose

How Is Honey Adulterated?

Honey can be adulterated by a couple of methods. Some companies may add in molasses which is made from boiling sugar canes. They can also add in thick, transparent liquid glucose, and inverted sugar. High fructose corn and rice syrup are also common honey adulters.

Honey can be adulterated by a couple of methods

bee colony in layers

These were all the tips and tick we have on finding out is your honey pure or adulterated. We hope you found them useful. Now you can safely check if your honey is pure or not. To be extra sure it’s best to shop straight from the source. Help out local beekeepers by shopping from them. This way you will know for sure where the honey is made, how and that it is 100% pure.

Now you can safely check if your honey is pure or not

honeycomb jar of hone and spoon on white background

John Griffith

John Griffith is a young, passionate journalist. Writing has been John’s hobby ever since he was a boy. He has worked in some of the UK’s most successful news portals over the course of his professional career but found his forever home at Archzine.