Purity of honey

Purity of honey
QUESTION: How can we test the purity of honey?A. R. Harihar, Palakkad, KeralaANSWER 1: The purity of honey can be easily detected using different methods. One such test is the aniline chloride test. Here aniline chloride is first prepared and then used for testing. Three parts of aniline and one part of concentrated hydrochloric acid gives us aniline chloride.A small ceramic vessel is taken and a small quantity of honey is placed in it. About 5-7 drops of aniline chloride is added to it and stirred well. If the honey is adulterated a crimson red colour appears.In another method honey is taken in a test tube and equal quantity of water is added to it and stirred well. About 100 millilitres of this solution is taken and 5 ml of ether is added to it. This mixture is kept aside for some time in order to get a fine solution after stirring. The ether layer settling on the top is transferred to another small flat bottom vessel. The ether gets vapourised in a short while and to this resorcinol is added. This gives a red colour. This indicates that the honey has an adulterant.In addition to all these tests an important factor to be highlighted is about the granulation of honey. One of the nutrients (sugar) in pure honey precipitates when it is subjected to cool weather. This precipitation gives an appearance of sugar crystals. The honey giving more sugar precipitates faster. Mostly this is mistaken for adulteration. But if the precipitated honey is kept in hot water it attains normal liquid state which shows that it has no adulterant.T. Kalaivani, Chidambaram, T. N.ANSWER 2: A cotton wick dipped in pure honey when lighted with a matchstick burns and shows the purity of honey. If adulterated, the presence of water will not allow the honey to burn, If it does, it will produce a cracking sound. Generally honey is adulterated by adding a syrup of jaggery. Pure honey does not dissolve in water but impure honey dissolves. So to test it mix a spoon of honey in a cup of water and find out whether it dissolves to check its purity. — The Hindu S & T deskPrinter friendly page Send this article to Friends by E-MailSci TechFeatures: Magazine Literary Review Life Metro Plus Open Page Education Plus Book Review Business SciTech Entertainment Young World Property Plus Quest Folio The Hindu Group: Home About Us Copyright Archives Contacts Subscription Group Sites: The Hindu Business Line1. Check the label. You would be amazed at how many people neglect to look closely at the label of food products before buying them, and then are dismayed to find they bought something they really didn't want. Check around the brand name, and the ingredients list (if there is one) for a mention of additives. The company should be required to list them if you are shopping in certain countries. If there are no mentions of additives, buy the honey.2. Taste the honey. If it seems off, and yet the label claims it is pure, there are a few simple tests you can run to check the purity of the honey.o The dissolving test.§ Get a glass of water. This and a tablespoon of honey are all you need for the first test.§ Empty the honey into the water. If the honey is impure, it will dissolve in the water- the most common additive to honey is syrup of jaggery, which dissolves. If it is pure, the honey will stick together and sink as a solid lump to the bottom of the glass. (Ante honey glass aduguna alagevundi potundi Karaga kunda)§ This test can also be completed by mixing equal parts honey and methylated spirits (denatured alcohol). Pure honey will settle to the bottom. Impure honey is more likely to remain dissolved and make the solution milky.o The flame test.§ Get a lighter and a candle with a cotton wick. This test is better if you don't have as much honey to spare.§ Dip the cotton wick of the candle into a bit of the honey, and shake off the excess.§ Attempt to light the wick. If it burns, then it is completely pure honey. If it refuses to burn, then the presence of water is not allowing the wick to burn. (If there is only a very small amount of honey on the wick, though, it might still burn. It will produce a crackling sound, and it would be best to blow out the wick and try it again this time using more honey.)o The absorption test.§ Pour a few drops of honey on blotting paper and observe whether or not it is absorbed. If it's absorbed, the honey's not pure.§ If you don't have blotting paper, pour a little bit of honey on a white cloth, then wash the cloth. If there is any stain left by the honey, it is probably not pure.[edit] Tips· If you're at a farmers market or buying from a local farmer, they may not allow you to do these tests before buying, simply because it's much less probable that a local supplier is tampering with their honey. If you feel you must test it, though, just ask, don't pull out a lighter and start attempting to burn their honey.· Crystallized, or granulated honey, is always pure. If you want to be completely sure that the honey you have bought is pure, that is the most reliable way. How to Reliquefy Granulated Honey is invaluable if you choose to buy crystallized honey.[edit] Warnings· You should always be careful when handling fire and hot wax.· Never feed honey to an infant - there may be spores of Botulism contaminating it (usually harmless to adults) which can severely harm the infant, resulting in death.
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