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What’s the Difference Between Raw and Processed Honey?
Honey has been prized for thousands of years as a natural sweetener and a symbol of health and vitality. However, not all honey is created equal. If you’ve browsed the honey aisle at your local store, you’ve likely noticed labels that say “raw”, “processed,”, “pure”, or “filtered” and perhaps wondered what sets these types apart. In this blog post, we’ll explore the differences between raw and processed honey, the impact these processes have on honey’s health benefits, and why choosing the right type of honey can make a significant difference in your overall wellness.
What Is Raw Honey?
Raw honey is honey in its most natural form. Once it is harvested from the hive, it undergoes minimal processing to remove impurities like wax or bee parts, but it is never heated or pasteurized. This means raw honey retains all the beneficial enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that occur naturally in honey.
Key Characteristics of Raw Honey:
- Unheated: Raw honey is never exposed to high heat, which helps preserve its nutrient-rich profile.
- Unpasteurized: Unlike processed honey, raw honey isn’t pasteurized, a process that involves heating to kill bacteria but also destroys many beneficial components.
- Cloudy Appearance: Raw honey can have a cloudy or opaque appearance due to the presence of fine particles, including pollen and small amounts of wax.
- Crystallization: Raw honey is more likely to crystallize, especially in cooler temperatures. Crystallization is a natural process and a sign of authenticity, not spoilage.
At Hive & Harvest, we believe in preserving the integrity of honey, which is why we offer only 100% raw honey. This ensures that every spoonful is packed with the nutrients and natural goodness nature intended.
What Is Processed Honey?
Processed honey, also known as pasteurized honey, undergoes additional treatment to improve its appearance and to delay or stop crystallization. The process often involves heating the honey to high temperatures (around 160°F or 71°C), which makes it smoother and easier to bottle. After being heated, the honey is pushed through a microfilter to remove anything in the honey, including tiny pieces of pollen, which gives it a clearer, more appealing look. While this might be great for aesthetics and preventing crystallization, it comes at a cost to the honey’s nutritional value.
Key Characteristics of Processed Honey:
- Heated: Processed honey is heated during pasteurization, which extends its shelf life and prevents crystallization. However, this heating process destroys many of the beneficial enzymes and antioxidants found in raw honey.
- Filtered: The honey is filtered to remove small particles like pollen and wax, resulting in a clear and shiny appearance.
- Less or No Crystallization: Processed honey is less likely to crystallize.
- Fewer Nutrients: While processed honey still contains sugar and some nutrients, the heating and filtration processes significantly reduce its health benefits.
Nutritional Differences: Raw vs. Processed Honey
One of the most significant differences between raw and processed honey lies in their nutritional content. The benefits of honey go beyond its sweet taste — raw honey is known for its enzymes, antioxidants, and antibacterial properties, all of which are destroyed during the processing of honey. During this heating and stripping process, the honey is reduced to down to essentially just sugars instead of a complex healing solution.
Raw Honey’s Nutritional Profile:
- Enzymes: Raw honey contains a variety of enzymes, such as glucose oxidase, which helps break down sugars and produce hydrogen peroxide. These enzymes contribute to honey’s antibacterial and antimicrobial properties.
- Antioxidants: Raw honey is rich in antioxidants, particularly flavonoids and phenolic compounds, which help protect the body against free radicals and oxidative stress.
- Pollen: Raw honey often contains small amounts of pollen, which may contribute to allergy relief by helping the body build resistance to local allergens.
- Nutrients: Raw honey contains trace amounts of vitamins (like B vitamins and vitamin C), minerals (such as calcium, potassium, and zinc), and amino acids.
Processed Honey’s Nutritional Profile:
- Fewer Enzymes: The heating involved in pasteurization destroys the beneficial enzymes present in raw honey.
- Reduced Antioxidants: High heat also reduces the antioxidant levels in processed honey, making it less effective at combating oxidative stress.
- No Pollen: Filtration processes remove pollen, which eliminates any potential allergy-relief benefits.
- Nutrients Diminished: Although processed honey still contains sugars and some nutrients, many of the natural vitamins and minerals are lost during pasteurization.
Health Benefits of Raw Honey vs. Processed Honey
Health Benefits of Raw Honey
Raw honey is celebrated for its numerous health benefits, which go beyond simply sweetening your tea. Some of the most significant health advantages include:
- Antibacterial and Antimicrobial Properties:
Raw honey has been used for centuries in traditional medicine to treat wounds and infections. This is largely due to the enzyme glucose oxidase, which breaks down sugars and produces hydrogen peroxide. This natural antibacterial agent helps kill bacteria and promote healing.
- Antioxidant Powerhouse:
Raw honey is packed with antioxidants, which help protect the body from oxidative stress and free radical damage. Antioxidants are essential for overall health and can reduce the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, brain degeneration diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia, and cancer.
- Allergy Relief:
Because raw honey contains small amounts of local pollen, consuming local honey helps with seasonal allergies. Consuming small amounts of pollen can help the body build immunity to local allergens.
- Digestive Health:
Raw honey has prebiotic properties, which can support the growth of good bacteria in the gut. This can contribute to better digestion and overall gut health. It also contains melatonin which soothes and supports gut health.
- Immune Support:
The combination of enzymes, antioxidants, and antibacterial properties in raw honey can give your immune system a boost. It’s often used as a natural remedy for soothing sore throats and relieving coughs.
The Drawbacks of Processed Honey
While processed honey still provides sweetness, its health benefits are considerably reduced compared to raw honey. Here are a few reasons why processed honey falls short in terms of nutrition:
- Loss of Enzymes:
The high heat used during pasteurization destroys most of the enzymes found in raw honey, including glucose oxidase, which plays a crucial role in honey’s antibacterial properties.
- Reduced Antioxidant Levels:
The antioxidant content in honey is significantly diminished during heating. This means processed honey doesn’t offer the same level of protection against free radicals and oxidative stress.
- No Pollen:
Processed honey is filtered to remove impurities, including pollen, which eliminates the potential allergy-relief benefits and reduces the nutritional complexity of the honey.
- Potential for Added Sugars:
Some processed honey products may contain added sugars or corn syrup, which dilute the nutritional value and can contribute to higher calorie consumption without the health benefits.
How to Choose the Best Honey for Your Health
When selecting honey, it’s essential to read labels carefully. If you’re looking for the full health benefits that honey can provide, raw honey is the superior choice. Look for labels that specifically say “raw,” and if possible, buy from local beekeepers or trusted sources like Hive & Harvest to ensure you’re getting pure, unadulterated honey. “Pure” honey generally means that it was heated and processed to remove anything from within the honey. However, some bottles will say “Pure Raw” which most likely means that they are unprocessed.
“Organic” honey is actually the worst honey you can purchase. It is not certified in the United States. Bees can fly for 3+ miles to forage for food. There is not a single place in the United States that has a 3 mile radius that is certified organic. Because of this, there is no organic honey in the US unless it comes from another country that allows for this certification. If it says “Organic”, that means that it has come from another country that allows for much lower certifications. Then this honey has been mixed with other honeys from around the world, and can be adulterated with corn syrup or other products that are not real honey. It will be mixed in a big vat with lots of other honeys, one of which is normally a small amount of United States honey, then heated, processed, and sold as “U.S. Organic Honey”. This is a manipulative marketing scheme to get you to pay more for something of lower value. Honey fraud is a huge issue. Please avoid these honeys as you don’t really know what is in them.
How to Store Raw Honey
Raw honey can crystallize over time, especially in cooler temperatures. If this happens, there’s no need to throw it away — crystallization is a natural process and does not mean the honey has spoiled. To restore raw honey to its liquid form, simply place the jar in warm (not boiling) water and stir gently. Never let it get over 120 degrees as anything over that will denature the beneficial enzymes in the honey. You can wrap it with a heated blanket or heating pad and let it take a day to decrystallize. Learn more about separation and crystallization in honey here.
Raw honey should always be stored in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight to preserve its nutrients. Remarkably, honey never spoils when properly sealed. Because honey is hygroscopic, it absorbs moisture from the air, and if its moisture content exceeds 20%, it can ferment. In fact, honey found in King Tutankhamun’s tomb, over 3,000 years old, was still edible because it was sealed properly! So as long as it’s stored correctly, honey remains good indefinitely.
Conclusion: Why Raw Honey Is the Best Choice
The difference between raw and processed honey boils down to nutrition and health benefits. Raw honey is packed with natural enzymes, antioxidants, and nutrients that contribute to overall health and wellness. On the other hand, processed honey is often stripped of these beneficial compounds, making it little more than a sugary sweetener.
At Hive & Harvest, we believe in offering only the highest quality, 100% raw honey. By choosing raw honey, you’re not only indulging in a delicious, natural product — you’re also nourishing your body with all the health benefits that honey has to offer.
If you want to learn more interesting things about bees, check out our article: 10 Fascinating Facts About Honeybees You Never Knew
