Honey is not only an addition to tea, but a healer for many diseases. But many of us do not even think about how much honey can be stored without losing its nutritional value.
Shelf life
In fact, the life time of this precious product depends primarily on the conditions of its storage. Therefore, special attention should be paid to the place, which usually contains honey. Although the Russian GOST indicates to us that it can only be stored for a year. But this applies only to the product purchased in the store.
About honey it is impossible to say that it is spoiled. It is almost impossible. It is known that honeycombs are found with preserved sweet molasses after millennia. From the wrong storage conditions, honey can, of course, lose its nutritional properties, but even storing a bee product at minus temperatures almost does not change its nutritional value. At minus 20 ° С it only thickens. And at high temperatures it loses its bactericidal properties, without losing its taste.
After a certain period of time, the honey begins to crystallize. However, this does not affect its quality. This is a natural process of saccharification, which occurs the sooner, the more glucose in its composition. If fructose is predominant, the crystallization process occurs later. From the fact that the product changes its consistency, it does not lose its useful properties. Any type of honey undergoes crystallization, but at different time intervals.
Over time, honey can not only crystallize, but also exfoliate. This is a completely natural process, easily fixed. You just need to mix the product, giving it a familiar consistency.
Store honey, as a rule, looks very beautiful, remaining liquid and transparent for a long time. In fact, it does not speak about his unnaturalness. It's all about industrial processing. Bee "food" passes through special filters that remove crystals from its composition. This contributes to the preservation of the liquid texture.
Storage Conditions
Of course, ideally, honey should be stored in a wooden keg in a cellar. But since few can follow this advice, let us analyze what conditions the product needs to create in order to preserve its nutritional value for a long time.
Storage Rules.
- First of all, honey should be kept in an airtight container. The place should be dry and without any strong odors, as the product is capable of absorbing both water and odors( kerosene, varnish, fish or other flavors).And this can lead to souring.
- It is not forbidden to keep sweet bee molasses in the refrigerator if it is not possible to create more suitable conditions for it. The ideal temperature is from 5 to 16 ° C.
- Avoid exposure to light, especially direct sunlight on the product. It threatens the destruction of nutrients.
- Contact with metal is contraindicated for honey. Therefore, do not use for storage of copper, zinc, leaded dishes, as well as dishes containing these components. The metal is oxidized under the influence of sweet molasses and releases toxins that are harmful to health.
Sometimes honey is sold directly in the comb. Such a product is generally very durable. His term is almost unlimited. You can cut the honeycomb into small pieces and put them in a glass jar, on top of the bay honey. The jar is sealed with a sealed lid and kept in a dark, dry place. The shelf life of honey in honeycombs - already 10-20 years.
Wooden packaging is one of the best options for preserving honey. However, both glass and plastic dishes do not lag behind in their practicality. The main thing is that the cover tightly closed the product from contact with air and other environmental factors.
When it comes to large volumes of honey, large wooden barrels of lime, beech or aspen will fit perfectly. And if you are professionally harvesting honey, then the recommendations for its storage should be more extensive and detailed. Here are some extras for beekeepers.
First, the material of the tree itself also matters. Thus, the oak barrel contributes to darkening, and conifers give the product a special peculiar smell.
Secondly, the humidity should be no more than 20% and it is worth ensuring adequate ventilation of the room.
And thirdly, the temperature should be constant( 5-10 ° C), without sudden changes. And access to light should be limited.
