Honey is a versatile household staple that has numerous nutrient-rich benefits. Also, it has many physical qualities, including a golden appearance, sticky texture, and sweet taste, and we cannot overstate its usage.
The market offers two types of honey: regular honey and raw organic honey. What distinguishes raw organic honey from regular honey, though?
This post will let you in on the variations between raw organic honey and regular honey, including their:
- Composition
- Taste
- Potential health benefits, etc
#1: Appearance
Raw organic honey and regular honey differ in appearance because one is refined while the other is in its original form.
Raw organic honey is cloudy, non-transparent, and comes straight from the honeycomb. Honey extractors will usually just filter it to remove small bits of debris, including beeswax, and pollen.
They do not pasteurize the honey. Since they cannot remove the tiny bits of honeycomb without additional filtration, that’s why raw honey often appears cloudy.
Also, raw honey crystallises because of the lack of pasteurisation, further impacting this cloudy appearance.
Regular honey is clear and clean. This is because it’s refined through pasteurisation, to improve its appearance, increase its shelf-life, and kill yeast cells that can affect its taste.
#2: Processing
Another difference between raw organic honey and regular honey is the process after harvesting.
Raw honey undergoes minimal processing, and manufacturers might strain it after harvesting to remove any foreign matter.
They may also warm it to allow it to flow for bottling. This gentle treatment allows the honey to keep all its micronutrients and goodness, so what you get is as they collected it from the hives. The honey harvesters also extract raw organic honey using a cold-pressed method, which preserves its natural enzymes and other beneficial components.
After harvesting regular honey, it usually goes through a variety of different processes, which are:
Pasteurisation – During this process, high heat destroys the yeast found in honey. Using high temperatures helps extend the shelf life and makes it smoother. Pasteurisation destroys microbes naturally present in foodstuffs, extending their shelf life and making them less likely to go off.
It also helps keep regular honey liquid and can delay or prevent the crystallization process. It is less necessary with honey, which has a long shelf life.
Another processing step that regular honey may go through is filtration. Filtration removes the air bubbles, giving them a smooth, uniform appearance that pleases consumers. To make it even more transparent, manufacturers apply an extra filtration step called ultrafiltration. Each of these additional filtration steps often removes enzymes that are key to the health benefits of honey.
#3: Composition
Raw organic honey is 100% pure and contains natural enzymes that can aid digestion and boost immunity. It also has more pollen and other organic matter, which can provide additional health benefits.
Regular honey might not have much pollen as raw honey because of the heavy processing that destroys these enzymes. It may contain added sugars or other ingredients (including corn and glucose syrups).
#4: Nutritional Value
Raw organic honey offers a punch of health benefits because of the lack of processing and added sweeteners. Regular honey undergoes pasteurization and filtration processes to remove bee pollen, bee propolis, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids, antioxidants, and other substances, minimising nutritional benefits.
#5: Flavor
Because of pollen and other organic matter, raw organic honey has a distinct flavor, while regular honey may have a more uniform taste. The flavor of raw organic honey varies depending on the flowers the bees visit to produce it. The heating process that regular honey goes through results in a considerable loss of flavor, which explains the unvarying taste because of added sweeteners.
Conclusion
Honey is nature’s best gift to humankind. It is a natural product that has maintained its medicinal value and health-enriching properties for generations.
There are notable differences between raw organic honey and regular honey. Raw organic honey is a healthier choice because of its minimal processing, natural taste, and higher nutritional content. If raw honey is your ultimate choice, we have the perfect pick.
At FrutPlanet, our raw honey is 100% natural, and our beekeepers grow and process it organically. Unpack natural goodness and enjoy immense health benefits today.
