What is the main adulterant in honey and how can it be detected?

Honey is susceptible to adulteration with cheaper sweeteners; those that have been detected in adulterated honeys include sugar syrups and molasses inverted by acids or enzymes from corn, sugar cane, sugar beet and syrups of natural origin such as maple.

Is honey adulterated or not?

An investigation in December 2020 by the CSE unravelled the ‘food fraud’. The finding revealed that 77\% of honey samples (17/22), which the CSE got tested in Indian and German laboratories, had failed the tests of purity and were found adulterated with sugar syrups. Only three out of 13 brands had passed all tests.

How much honey is adulterated?

The exact amount of fake honey in the world is up for debate. An analysis by the Honey Authenticity Project, an association of activists and industry members, places the number of fake or adulterated honey at 33\%.

What does adulterated honey mean?

The term “adulterated honey” means any honey to which has been added honeydew, glucose, dextrose, molasses, sugar, sugar syrup, invert sugar, or any other similar product or products, other than the nectar of floral exudations of plants gathered and stored in the comb by honey bees.

What are the adulterants added in honey?

It was apparent that the most common adulterants in honey were sugars from high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), corn sugar syrup (COSS), inverted sugar syrup (ISS) and cane sugar syrup (CASS).

Which honey is not adulterated?

‘No adulteration’ “Dabur is the only company in India to have an NMR testing equipment in our own laboratory, and the same is used to regularly test our honey being sold in the Indian market. This is to ensure that Dabur Honey is 100\% pure without any adulteration,” the accompanying statement noted.

How can you tell if honey is adulterated?

–Vinegar Test: Mix a few drops of honey into vinegar water, if the mixture starts to foam, then your honey is fake. –The Heat Test: Honey remains unburned. To try the heat test, dip a matchstick in honey and light it. If it burns, then your honey is adulterated.

Can raw honey be adulterated?

To enjoy the benefits of honey, you must understand its purity. Adulteration nowadays has become a common practice; it can be a challenge to find pure honey. Honey can be often mixed with glucose solution, high fructose corn syrup, and many other ingredients that consumers are not aware of.

How to tell if your honey is pure or adulterated?

Water test for Honey: Water can be used to distinguish between pure honey and adulterated ones and it is so simple.

Is honey food fraud?

Honey is at very high risk of food fraud, with a long history of adulteration, dilution, substitution, misrepresentation of source and fakery (non-bee products represented as honey).

Is honey flammable?

Honey isn’t particularly flammable but the shelf may be if it’s wood. Besides, this is a horrible place to store honey as heat will change the honey and it won’t be as good. Just store it away from all heat.

Why is food adulterated?

If food is adulterated on purpose, it is because they want more profit than what they’re already getting . For example meat is more expensive than beef, so some restaurants serve beef in the name of meat. If the adulteration is unintended it’s because of the unhygienic conditions the food is made in.