Demystifying honey – Raw versus processed honey
Bees are nature’s marvel and we must love them for their tireless toil to collect the sweetest nectar and share a part of their food with us. Pure honey is not only a delicious natural sweetener but also possesses powerful healing properties. With so many variants and brands of honey in the market, we realised that it is very difficult to recognise pure, chemical-free and unadulterated honey. In our effort to demystify this wholesome food, we put together this small note, in the hope that it will shed some light on the differences between raw and processed honey, and give you tips to guide you on your next purchase.
| Raw honey | Processed honey | |
| Appearance | thick, cloudy, and may contain pollen and wax bits. | deceptively clear and smooth. |
| Source | typically sourced from a single geographical area or field or farm. That is why it’s source origin is usually mentioned on the label. | a mixture of honey from various sources across different geographies that is difficult to trace back to. |
| Process | bottled as is, directly from the bee-box (असली छत्ते का शहद), and hence may contain pollen, wax bits, and all the beneficial enzymes and bacteria. | Pasteurised (a process that involves heating over boiling point) |
| Purity | concentrated flower nectar in its original and purest form. Every batch has a unique colour and flavour depending on the season and the flowers that the bees are feeding on. | pasteurised, filtered, treated with chemicals and flavours to make it uniform in appearance and taste. It lacks any unique characteristics. |
| Crystallisation | will most definitely crystallise due to the presence of glucose & fructose. Crystallisation is a natural process, and does not imply that the honey is spoiled. . | doesn’t easily crystallise due to pasteurisation. |
| Taste | has a distinct taste, flavour, texture and consistency (much like a wine) that depends upon it’s growing conditions and seasonal variations. | will usually remain consistent in taste, appearance and flavour, each time you buy without any nuances, much like a factory-made produce. |
| Healing properties | has antioxidant, anti fungal, anti-cancer and antibacterial properties that reduce risk of heart disease, boost immunity, aid in weight loss and heal cuts and wounds. | has fewer medicinal properties as it does not contain pollen, and pasteurisation kills most of its beneficial bacteria and enzymes. |
Katori honey is sourced from its very own trusted network of beekeepers who share our vision of ‘balanced bee-keeping’, and promote a bee-centred approach while caring for bees and their hives. We separate honey varieties by season and location, so the honey you get comes straight from the beehives, preserving the unique flavours and aroma of each flower nectar in the jar. Katori honey comes in five variants – MUlti floral, Sunflower, Tulsi & Ajwain, Eucalyptus and Mustard.
