The honey we buy at our local markets, supermarkets, and grocery stores is frequently not 100% pure or real. Preservatives, chemicals, water, sugar, or glucose solution are sometimes added to honey.

Most honey is tainted and has few health advantages.

Be aware that although being founded on actual concepts, these tests do not always provide correct results.

TEST FOR PURE HONEY.

1. THUMBS CHECK.

Is the honey thick or runny? If you drop a small bit of honey on your thumbnail and it spreads out like water or any other liquid, it may not be pure honey because pure honey will remain intact on your thumb. The justification for this is that real honey is thick and syrupy, not runny.

2. WATER CHECK.

A spoonful of honey should be added to the glass after it has been filled with water. If the honey entirely dissolves, a sugar syrup has likely been added to the food. Impure or adulterated honey will readily dissolve in water and will be visible all over the glass. The thick texture of pure honey causes it to sink to the bottom of the glass. Pure honey does not require any shaking to remain in place.

3. FLAME CHECK.

Pure honey is highly flammable, which verifies its purity. Take a matchstick and dip it in honey to begin. To see if it lights, strike the matchstick against the matchbox. 

If the honey is pure, the matchstick will light up quickly and the honey will continue to burn; however, if the honey is impure, it contains water and won't light. Water is present in inferior honey, preventing it from lighting and burning.

4. VINEGAR CHECK.

In a bowl, combine some water, honey, and two to three drops of vinegar. Your honey is pure if nothing happens; but, if it begins to bubble, it indicates that it has been tampered with. If the liquid begins to foam, indicating that it is not pure honey, gypsum may have been added.

5. HEAT CHECK.

Pour one or two teaspoons of pure honey into a saucepan and place it over medium heat. You should notice the colour browning as it warms up. When heated, honey quickly turns into caramel. On the other hand, honey that bubbles or foams even little when heated indicates that it has been tampered with.

6. FROSTY CHECK.

Your honey is not pure if it has been frozen and refrigerated or frozen. Even when maintained in a deep freezer, pure honey should never be frozen.

7. COLOUR TEST.

If a brand is selling flavour-infused honey that is a colour other than brown, it may contain additives like food colouring. Pure honey can range in colour from light transparency to dark brown, and if the honey product falls within that colour range, it is pure honey.

8. ANT TEST.

Your honey will not be pure if ants lick it. Pure honey cannot be licked by ants; sugar must be added to the honey.

9. EXPIRY CHECK.

One of the few foods that never goes bad is pure honey. However, if you start to notice that your honey smells or tastes a little strange, it can be a tainted product.

10. LABEL CHECK.

Check the ingredients by reading the label. Make sure that high fructose, corn syrup, or glucose are not listed among the honey's ingredients. On the label of pure honey, there is just mention of honey.

11. HONEY COST CHECK.

Purchasing pure honey is not cheap. Most often, cheap honey is combined with other components.

12. SPOON TEST.

If honey falls off a spoon soon after being placed on it, it is not pure honey. Pure honey will either drip gradually or cling to the spoon.

13. BREAD CHECK.

If a small piece of crusty bread is dipped into honey and left in there for about 10 minutes before being removed, the bread should still be hard. If the honey has been diluted with water, however, the bread will be soggy, indicating that the honey is not pure.

14. IODINE CHECK.

Iodine drops, water, and honey should be combined. If the mixture becomes blue, the honey has some starch or flour added to it, indicating that it is not pure.

15. THE BLOT CHECK.

To apply honey, drip a drop onto a tiny square of paper towels or sturdy napkins. Impure honey will either leave a moist imprint on the paper or absorb almost entirely into the paper towel. After some time, you might only observe a moist stain. A paper towel cannot readily absorb pure honey because it is too thick.