Honey is a natural sweetener known and consumed by our ancestors since time immemorial. It is suitable for immediate consumption in its unprocessed state, unlike any other source of sugar that requires the skills to obtain it. But can honey ferment and why does this happen?
Pure honey
In its pure form, honey is a highly concentrated sugar containing very little water. This makes it one of the few products that are naturally resistant to spoilage, because fungi and other microorganisms need a certain amount of free fluid for prosperity and reproduction. This characteristic was well known in ancient times, and the use of honey for wound healing is mentioned in the Bible. With careful storage, it will darken and crystallize, but not ferment.
Unintentional fermentation
Can honey ferment? This can happen under certain circumstances. If honey is collected too early, when its humidity is high, or if it is not stored in an airtight condition and absorbs moisture from the atmosphere, it can ferment. When this happens, the fungal spores come to life and begin to digest sugar, processing them into alcohol. Honey will noticeably foam and form an unpleasant sour smell. At this point, the product is considered poor-quality for human consumption, and most beekeepers give it to bees.
Isn't honey kept forever?
Can honey sour or ferment? Contrary to popular belief that it is stored forever, humidity makes it prone to spoilage, like any other food product. Water is a common and necessary component for all living things on earth. Honey is hygroscopic, and this means that it will attract and retain its molecules from the environment.
If the moisture content in it is below 17.1%, even sugar-tolerant yeast is inactivated, so it cannot ferment. Unfortunately, fungi will not be killed in this case, and they can become active if the humidity level increases.
92% of honey consists of dextrose, levulose and water, while the remaining 8% are other sugars and various components that give each species a unique flavor. Crystallization will occur with almost all types of this product over time, as a less soluble dextrose solution breaks down and forms crystals.
When dextrose evaporates, the ratio of water to other sugars in the solution increases. If its amount is greatly reduced, the moisture content may become favorable for the reproduction of yeast. In this case, fermentation of the product may occur.
Temperature exposure
Can honey ferment in warmth? Yes maybe. One way to prevent fermentation is to store the product at a temperature below 10 degrees C. This allows you to inactivate many strains of fungi. Another way to avoid fermentation if honey begins to darken is to thin it so that the moisture to sugar ratio returns to normal. If the product has low humidity (16.5% or less), then even if it crystallizes, it is unlikely that it can roam.
Commercial manufacturers of honey prevent fermentation by pasteurization, heating the product to 70 degrees, killing yeast. However, such a high temperature required for processing can destroy all the useful substances of the product. Therefore, it is best to store it raw. In addition, heating honey to 45-50 degrees for several hours is enough to make most of the dextrose return to the solution, stopping the fermentation process and preserving the good quality of honey. But even this degree of heating degrades the taste. It is best to collect honey as dry as possible at a moisture content of about 16.5% or lower so that it can crystallize without any risk of fermentation.
Some people believe that if honey is completely warmed up, it is not raw. This may be technically true, but honey in the hives in some southern regions has a temperature of about 45 degrees when it is pumped out of the hives. Such a product is better to eat raw. Most likely, it will contain a very high level of dextrose and crystallizes within two to three weeks after bottling. This is because its humidity will be less than 16.5%. It can be stored for several years with an excellent aroma and without the danger of fermentation, if it is in favorable conditions.
But it is worth noting that many people prefer liquid honey to crystallized. If the product is so dry, it should be heated to 50 degrees for several hours to make it liquid.
What are the signs of honey fermentation?
Can natural honey ferment and what does it look like? As noted above, this can happen. As yeast grows, carbon dioxide is formed. It forms bubbles that increase pressure inside the can. A swollen cap is a measure of pressure and a sign of possible fermentation. In liquid honey, carbon dioxide bubbles noticeably increase volume. If the product container is not tightly closed, it may squeeze the lid in this state and begin to overflow over the edges.
Crystallized honey will become spongy in structure due to the formation of carbon dioxide bubbles. Again, the pressure inside the can will increase if the lid is closed tightly.
If you suspect that honey may roam, but are not sure, try it. If it is tasty and you like it, do not worry about the possible danger. Is fermented honey harmful? Crystallized fermented product is not harmful to health, unlike other blanks that deteriorate from bacteria. Fermentation is caused by the fact that it is yeast that grows, and the number of bacteria will be negligible if the honey is not very wet. Most bacteria are actually killed in high sugar honey, which draws moisture. If you are worried that the product may ferment even more and become acidic, store it in the refrigerator so that the yeast does not grow, or heat it to 70 degrees in a water bath.
Can honey ferment in liquid form?
Honey must not crystallize to ferment. A liquid product that has a moisture content of more than 17.1% can and will ferment with enough time. If the product contains more than 18.5% water, fermentation can occur within a few months, and will be so intense that carbon dioxide can tear the lid off the can or break the container.
All of the above gives an affirmative answer to the question of whether honey can ferment in a jar in liquid form.
Why is this happening?
The contents of the jar will bubble, as with a slow boil. This is usually a sign that honey has been harvested too immature. Some small producers take advantage of the fact that a freshly picked product can have 18.6% moisture by standards. However, with this composition, it begins to ferment quickly. The explanation is simple. When the above standards were established, most of the honey was pasteurized and specially filtered to prevent fermentation. Currently, the product is usually sold raw.
In addition, some manufacturers mix liquid honey with dry honey to make it more convenient for bottling.
If such honey has fermented, is it possible to eat it? If it is not too acidic and does not produce a sharp unpleasant odor, it can be melted to reduce the moisture content.
How to melt honey?
Having received information about whether honey can ferment and why, you should study the technique of heating it. As mentioned above, this process can stop the fermentation process.
First of all, you should not heat the plastic container, as some of the chemicals from it can migrate to food. If the jar of honey is not glass, it is not recommended to process the product directly in it. This is one of the main reasons why honey is most often poured into glass containers. Glass may not be as convenient as lightweight and flexible plastic containers, but honey can be re-melted directly in a jar.
The most common way to re-thin the honey is to remove the lid of the jar and place the container in a deep pot of hot water. So there is heating in a water bath. Do not boil water if you do not want to heat honey to 70 degrees. It is enough to keep the water just hot. Stir the contents of the jar slowly to evenly distribute heat throughout the honey. The cooler the water, the longer the product will liquefy. The warmer it is, the faster this process will occur.
The stronger and longer the honey heats, the more likely it is that some of its delicate aromas will be lost. Once the product is clean, remove it from hot water and let it cool. If it is liquid, but opaque, small crystals still remain in it. If you remove it from water in this state, it will crystallize quickly.
Microwave heating
Microwave heating is an alternative and faster way to re-liquefy honey. This is not a good method for large cans. It is much less controlled, and honey is likely to become hotter than when heated in a water bath.
The advantage is that the product heats up very quickly. Then the jar can be placed in a cool water bath to quickly cool it, so the overall effect on honey can be the same or less than the hot water method.
So, remove the lid from the can and place the container in the microwave. Heat it for twenty seconds, and then mix it if the honey becomes thin enough. Repeat the heating cycle until the honey is clear.
Intentional fermentation
Having studied the above, you know the answer to the question of whether honey can ferment. Sometimes such fermentation is provoked intentionally when people produce alcoholic beverages. Fermented honey may be the basis of one of them. To make the product ferment intentionally, it dissolves in water with the addition of yeast. Over time, you get a wine or beer called mead. The culture of the preparation of the drink is rooted in the ancient Celtic, Slavic and Scandinavian cultures. Moreover, the term “honeymoon” refers to the period when the newlyweds were mostly left alone to drink honey and get to know each other.