Honey Warming, some advice please

[EdNewman]

Hi all, for the first year I have enough surplus honey that I will be storing and jarring as required for at least 8 months, so I have made myself a warming cabinet but have some questions if you will indulge me:

1. 37C seems to be the suggested temperature to bring set honey back to a liquid state, is that correct (this isn't OSR or ivy honey)?
2. Is it OK to put jars of set honey into the warmer to bring them back to a liquid state?
3. How long can you leave honey for warmed to 37c? I am time short, so I jar when I can, that may be weeks after I put they honey in the warming cabinet.

Thanks in advance for all advice.

Ed.

 

[drex]

Heated honey produces HMF and loses aroma etc. The higher the temp and the longer it is heated for, the more deterioration. So, keep it as low and short as possible. 37 is fine. I will warm buckets for 24 hours at that temp, but you can get away with longer. I find OSR will need about 45 and plenty of stirring, so try to keep time as short as possible. I would not warm honey for weeks. Once liquid it will stay liquid for some time, depending on crop and ambient temp

 

[EdNewman]

Thanks very much for the response.

Any idea about putting already jarred honey in the cabinet?

Ed.

 

[Millet]

Thanks very much for the response.

Any idea about putting already jarred honey in the cabinet?

Ed.

Even better if jarred... get the warming cabinet up to temperature and heat the jars at 54C for 45mins.. it will give a longer shelf life... three month or more depending on where it is kept..

 

[enrico]

Even better if jarred... get the warming cabinet up to temperature and heat the jars at 54C for 45mins.. it will give a longer shelf life... three month or more depending on where it is kept..

Why does it increase the shelf life?

 

[Beefriendly]

Your main worry with heating is producing illegal levels of hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). Anything above 40mg/kg is illegal.
However, it's quite hard to overheat to get this level of HMF as the table below shows.

The table below gives you the times for 30mg/kg to acummulate.

Temp C Time
30 - 100-300days
40 - 20-50 days
50 - 4-10 days
60 - 1-1.25days
70 - 3-5hours
80 - <2hours

Kushnir and Subers 1964

 

[Beefriendly]

Why does it increase the shelf life?

It gives it a longer shelf life as a runny honey...before it sets again.

 

[enrico]

It gives it a longer shelf life as a runny honey...before it sets again.

Oh, I see what you mean, thanks!
E

 

[Curley]

45 minutes in a warming cabinet won't do it - the honey won't get up to temperature in that time unless in very small jars. 45 minutes in a water bath will.
Why does it increase the shelf life? Well it increases the time the honey stays runny.
The process dissolves any small crystals of sugar so reducing the number of nuclei for crystallisation and delay the start of cyrstallisation.

 

[foghornleghorn]

Go with 45 degrees, used to do it at 42 degrees but didn't do a great job at clearing buckets left on for 2 days and jars were always very quick to go cloudy again when left in for one day

 

[masterBK]

The reasons for upper limits of HMF and lower limits for diastase levels in the honey regs is to prevent old and overheated honey being sold to the public ie to lay down some sort of quality control.

 

[Eyeman]

Here is a guide to beekeeping temperatures.

View attachment BEEKEEPING TEMPERATURES.doc for bbka news 2006.pdf

 

[For want of a better word]

The reasons for upper limits of HMF and lower limits for diastase levels in the honey regs is to prevent old and overheated honey being sold to the public ie to lay down some sort of quality control.

Can still be sold off as Bakers Honey.... and there is a good market for that in the brewing industry... and with luck you get to spend time in a few micro breweries "testing and tasting"... now that is quality control!

Yeghes da

 

[Apiarisnt]

Kushnir and Subers 1964

What happened to Dr White? https://libraries.psu.edu/findingaids/724.htm

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

What happened to Dr White? https://libraries.psu.edu/findingaids/724.htm

Sidelined with the popularity of lillets, Always ultra and bodyform.