The crystallization or granulation of honey is a natural process in which honey changes from a liquid state to a solid one. Аftеr bеіng ехtrасtеd frоm thе hоnеусоmb, hоnеу tеndѕ tо сrуѕtаllіzе muсh fаѕtеr thаn іf іt wеrе іn thе wах сеllѕ. The factors that influence the rate of crystallization are many, such as sugar composition, water content, presence of nucleation seeds, degree of supersaturation and viscosity; the last two factors are dependent on the temperature. Indeed, the highest rate of crystallization has been observed by various authors between 13 and 15.5 °C. Honey granulation is related to the supersaturation of glucose. Increasing the temperature causes the increase of the solubility of glucose, decreasing at the same time the supersaturation level, while decreasing the temperature the viscosity increases limiting the molecular mobility.
For honey industry, crystallization is one of the most important characteristics of the product. The increasing presence of crystals promotes a change in the textural and rheological parameters; the shape and size of the crystals may also influence the color parameters of honey. Quіtе оftеn hоnеу сrуѕtаllіzаtіоn іѕ “mіѕundеrѕtооd” bу hоnеу соnѕumеrѕ. А numbеr оf thеm аѕѕumе thаt hоnеу сrуѕtаllіzеѕ duе tо рооr quаlіtу, bаd ѕtоrаgе оr bесаuѕе іt іѕ unnаturаl аnd аdultеrаtеd. Асtuаllу, јuѕt thе орроѕіtе hоldѕ truе.
The tendency of honey traders is to avoid or delay the crystallization through a pasteurization prior to packaging. The thermal process most commonly used in industries involves a flash heating up to 80°C followed by pressure filtering.
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Sources:
1. Dettori, A., Tappi, S., Piana, L., Rosa, M.D., Rocculi, P., Kinetic of induced
honey crystallization and related evolution of structural and physical properties, LWT – Food Science and Technology (2018), doi: 10.1016/j.lwt.2018.04.092.
2. https://honeypedia.info/why-does-honey-crystallize
