Honey storage

[jackbee]

Does it make any difference if bottled honey is kept in a dark cupboard or stored on open shelves?

Does light affect colour, taste etc??

And, as an aside, why do we bottle honey into jars and not jar it?

 

[alanf]

Does it make any difference if bottled honey is kept in a dark cupboard or stored on open shelves?

Does light affect colour, taste etc??

And, as an aside, why do we bottle honey into jars and not jar it?

Since virtually all honey retailing is in clear containers, light in itself cannot be a serious problem. Otherwise honey would be packed in coloured glass, as used for red wine.

Most of the texts are more concerned with heat than light. That's basically avoiding HMF formation over a long storage period. Direct sunlight might cause problems by heating the honey. As it is, darkening can be a sign of HMF developing, and there are legal limits. The limits are well below human tolerance levels but have the effect of forbidding heat treatments that might degrade the product or be used to hide the origin.

If we all bottled putting honey in jars, it would never get done, while too much jarring would risk breakage.