Trusted Product Platform Advisory Board Chairman Dr. Aslı Elif Tanuğur Samancı warned of fake honey. Samancı said, “Real honey crystallizes. There is no such change in fake honey. Real honey does not mix with water on its own.” used the phrase.
Samancı, whose evaluations were included in the statement made by the Reliable Product Platform, made suggestions on how to detect fake honey.
Emphasizing that real honey is crystallized, Samancı continued his words as follows:
“Real honey does not mix with water on its own. You have to mix it so that real honey can dissolve in water, while fake honey will dissolve on its own. Besides, when you buy honey, it is important to check its packaging and make sure that it is produced in accordance with the honey codex. Also, take a look at the ingredients section and add glucose syrup, You can check components such as fructose syrup and understand that honey containing such substances is not natural.
Samancı underlined that fake honey is made in an artificial environment where bees cannot get nectar from flowers.
Stating that sugar syrup is given to bees in this environment and the bee produces honey with this material, Samancı said, “At the same time, unnatural honey is produced by adding honey enzyme to sugar syrup or by mixing real honey with fake honey in certain quantities. cannot be spoken of.” used the phrases.
Stating that it is better to consume honey in its pasteurized and unfiltered raw form, that is, in its real state, Samancı said:
“But there is a lot of information pollution on this subject. For example, consumers do not consume raw honey because they mostly see pasteurized honey on the shelf. They turn to other heat-treated honey. With an arrangement, the Turkish Food Codex Regulation published in the Official Gazette No. 31044 on 2020/7 Honey. The definition of ‘raw honey’ was included in the Communiqué. Now consumers will be able to see the expression raw honey on the labels and be able to distinguish whether the honey has been heat-treated or not. Raw honey is the most valuable honey in terms of nutritional value. In any case, the correct consumption of honey should be this way. Raw honey is heat treated at high temperatures. “As it does not see, it naturally crystallizes, that is, it freezes. But there is no harm in consuming honey in this state. In order to benefit from the real healing of honey, it must be consumed in its raw form.”
“WHEN BUYING HONEY, THE CONSUMER MUST BE CAREFUL THAT THE EXPRESSION OF ‘RAW HONEY’ IS ON THE LABEL BECAUSE THE RAW HONEY IS NOT HEATED”
Giving information about the difference and benefits of raw honey, Istanbul Kent University Nutrition and Dietetics Department Head Prof. Dr. Tanju Besler also stated that honey, as it is taken from the hive, is a natural food that is antibacterial and can be consumed directly and does not spoil.
Stating that honey can naturally solidify, that is, crystallize, shortly after it is obtained from the hive, Besler continued:
“People think this is the hardening, freezing or condensation of honey. People think that added sugar is added to honey. In fact, this is a completely natural phenomenon and honey can be consumed in its crystallized form. “A high temperature treatment is applied for 15-30 minutes between 65 and 76 degrees Celsius. However, it is not necessary to apply this process to honey at all. Because raw honey is suitable for consumption as it is taken from the hive and does not deteriorate at all.”
Besler stated that consumers should pay attention to the expression “raw honey” on the label when buying honey.
Stating that raw honey means natural honey that has not been subjected to high temperature heat treatment (pasteurization) and has not been filtered enough to retain pollen, Besler has made the following evaluations:
“Pasteurization leads to a decrease in the enzymes, vitamins and valuable components in the phenolic flavonoid structure naturally found in honey. The filtration process causes a decrease in pollen. Since raw honey is not pasteurized and filtered to retain pollen, its nutritional content is preserved with all its naturalness and purity. You can see it on the market shelves. Most of the honey that is transparent like glass, clear and does not crystallize for a long time is pasteurized. In other words, it is superheated and there is no information on the labels about this heating and filtration process. Consumers do not know this, they think that all the honey they see on the shelf is unprocessed natural honey, but the reality is so. When purchasing honey, the consumer should pay attention to the expression ‘raw honey’ on the label because raw honey is not heated.” (AA)