The crystallization of raw honey is a natural and spontaneous process. Most pure, raw, or unheated honey has a natural tendency to crystallize. Crystallization does not affect any of the benefits of honey. There may be slight changes in taste & color. Many people prefer crystallized honey as it is easier to work with and don't get sticky!
Below is a little bit on why and how honey can crystallize.
Raw honey contains a variety of natural sugars including glucose, fructose, sucrose, and maltose. The main ones are glucose and fructose. All these sugars together can make up nearly 70% of the honey content. Water makes up 18% or less.
These sugars are what give raw honey its sweetness. Glucose is the one that influences crystallization. The more glucose in the honey, the sooner your honey will crystallize.
What happens: There is water in all honey (less than 18%). The water binds to the sugars. But water can separate from glucose. When glucose loses water it becomes a crystal. Once a crystal forms, it will continue to build more crystals until the entire container is crystallized. Anything like pollen, propolis, or wax will get trapped in the crystals.
The crystals that form from the glucose can build on each other, but they can also build on any small particles such as pollen, propolis, and wax. These particles have small jagged edges and are still present in Raw Honey.
Always store your Raw honey in a dry place at room temperature keeping the lid secure. This is the same if opened or sealed.
Crystallization happens much faster at certain temperatures. When the temperature drops to around 10 degrees Celsius it can start to crystallize. Raw Honey is best kept around 20-35 degrees Celsius. This is why we recommend it is kept in the kitchen cupboard where all the cooking magic happens.
Crystallization is completely normal. The great majority of commercial honey has been pasteurized and ultra-fine filtered to slow down the process of crystallization. However, this process kills the honey and removes practically any of its goodness. You are left with far inferior honey. This is not the case with Bee Mercy Raw Honey.
