Have you ever wondered why honey comes in different colors? You may have noticed the different shades of yellow, brown, and dark amber when shopping for honey. But what makes honey come in different colors? And what color is real honey in the first place? You can learn all these questions and more in our article today, presented by the Wild Honey Store
How does the color of original honey change its uses?
Many of us use honey as a basic ingredient in the kitchen, this is due to its many benefits that make it a great nutritional supplement in the morning, and before bed as well. The uses of honey are not limited to that only, but its uses are multiple, in addition to its different color based on the flower that the bees feed on.
The color of the original honey is determined by the flower the bees feed on. Pollen and nectar come from different plants, resulting in different colors of honey.
The color of the original honey also depends on the region from which it is extracted. You will likely see a different range of honey colors, due to differences in pollen and nectar sources in each region.
Note that honey from a single hive can change color several times from year to year due to the changing availability of plants for each hive throughout the year.
How to process honey
Honey goes through several stages before it reaches its next form, which is what makes it constantly change color. When honey is heated, its color becomes deeper, then it goes through the pasteurization process, so the original honey becomes darker, because it stays in a warm place until it reaches the store.
What are the colors of honey?
As we mentioned earlier, the colors of honey vary from white to dark amber, but this difference does not play an important role in the quality of honey, but it still contains the same benefits and nutritional values, while the color of original honey comes as follows: -
- Water white color:
This type is characterized by its transparent white color, which is considered colorless, and contains many nutritional elements that are beneficial to the body.
- Extra white honey color:
This white honey has a slightly darker color than white honey, and tends to be a light yellow color but remains transparent.
- White honey:
This honey is yellow or light amber in color and also contains many benefits.
- Light amber honey:
This type of honey found in grocery stores is not completely clear, but tends to be orange or dark amber in color.
- Amber honey :
This color of honey tends to be dark orange and opaque.
- Dark Amber Honey:
Real honey is very dark, almost black in color, and completely opaque.
It should be noted that the white color of honey does not mean that the honey is actually white, but rather that the honey is colorless or transparent.
All these honey colors have the same benefits, which are:
- Providing the body with the energy needed to perform daily tasks by strengthening the immune system.
- It contains many antioxidants that play an important role in fighting free radicals caused by cancer.
- It contains many vitamins and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron and many others.
- It contributes to the rapid healing of wounds by applying it directly to the skin.
The best types of honey are wild honey.
As we have always provided you with everything natural, we offer you a range of the best types of original honey that you will only find with us.
Sidr honey
Or the type with us in the types of honey is the original Sidr honey , which is extracted from Sidr trees, which are difficult to obtain because these trees only grow in the winter. Therefore, it is not available throughout the year, but we provide it continuously through our wild honey store.
Its benefits include improving blood circulation and improving blood sugar levels. It is useful for diabetics to use it as an alternative to white sugar. It can also be applied directly to the skin to reduce signs of aging, wrinkles, and stretch marks. It also protects the body from various diseases such as colds, flu, and others.
Original honey color and Chinese Sidr honey
This product contains countless benefits, starting with the group of distinctive sugars that give the body the energy needed to perform daily tasks. It is also considered beneficial for diabetics because it contributes to maintaining blood sugar levels, protects the body from various diseases such as cold and flu symptoms, and strengthens immunity against external infections.
It is used in more than one way, whether as a substitute for sugar in drinks or foods, or taken alone on an empty stomach to get the best results.
Get from wild honey:
Black Forest Honey
Another type of original honey is Black Forest honey, which is characterized by its light texture and reasonable price compared to other types. It contains effective substances in speeding up the healing of burns by applying it directly to cleanse the area affected by the burn. Not only that, but it also contributes to strengthening the immune system and protects against diseases of weak immunity. It also reduces stomach acid and thus reduces the occurrence of esophageal reflux.
You can also use it to remove toxins from the body and also relieve the symptoms of gout by relieving the resulting pain. All of this is done with just one spoon of this honey on an empty stomach or adding it to some other ingredients such as drinks, juices, etc.
Sidr honey with flower honey and black forest honey
A group of honey offered by Wild Honey at the best price, including Sidr honey, flower honey, and Black Forest honey, the most famous and best types of original honey that you can get. It is extracted from apiaries located in the Chinese city of Itan.
Get a range of indispensable benefits in our daily lives, as it is effective in relieving cough and reducing sore throat, and it also contributes to attacking free radicals, the main cause of cancer.
In addition, it is considered a good source of energy for humans and it contributes to regulating blood sugar levels, making it especially beneficial for diabetics and reducing cholesterol levels.
We recommend to you from the wild honey store:
Local Hungarian honey
This honey is characterized by its very light color compared to other honey colors, as it is considered one of the best types of honey. It is extracted from the roots of pine trees from our hives in Abha. It contains many health benefits for the body, including its ability to protect the body from harmful diseases that result from a weak immune system. It also contains a group of powerful antioxidants that fight free radicals and thus prevent cancer.
In addition, it is used to freshen the skin by applying it directly to the skin, as it protects against the appearance of stretch marks and signs of aging.
The reason for the different colors of honey
If you have ever visited your local farmers market or supermarket in search of honey, you may have noticed that it comes in several varieties and different colors. It is worth noting that honey is available in a large number of colors and shades, but what is the reason for the different colors of honey? This is what we will explain in the following lines.
The color of honey is known to be somewhat related to its taste, so you need to know the difference if you want to buy honey that will have the flavor you expect. The flavor of honey is usually related to its color. What is really amazing is that bees create a wide range of honey colors, and all of these colors are derived from the type of nectar they feed on. There is even a completely pure white honey, it actually looks like water in a jar but still has its distinctive thick and sweet texture.
Plants produce nectar, and bees will fly to flowering plants to remove the nectar and bring it back to the colony. If the bees feed on different plants that are all flowering, it is wildflower honey. If 51% or more of the nectar is from the same plant species, it can be called a variety such as sage honey, orange blossom honey, or tupelo honey.
From the above, it is clear that the reason for the different colors of honey depends on the source of the bees' food, as pollen and nectar from different plants will produce different colors of honey. If you compare honey from beehives in multiple regions, you will likely see a range of honey colors due to the differences in the sources of pollen and nectar in each region. Honey also changes color several times from one season to another due to the change of the hive.
For example, monofloral honey, also known as single-variety honey, is honey from the nectar of flowers of a single plant species, while multifloral honey is honey that does not have a dominant plant species as its source, but is derived from multiple flowering plants near the beehive, and is often called wildflower honey.
While we are talking about why honey has different colors, it should be noted that honey color does not play a role in the USDA honey quality grade, but it is still commonly measured. Honey color in the United States is measured using the pfund scale, and the USDA approved honey colors are seven, which are:
White honey
Have you ever seen white honey? That's because this honey isn't white at all. "White" here simply means "colorless" and transparent. White honey is a watery honey that tends to be a very light yellow color while remaining transparent. Excellent white honey ranges in size from 9 to 17 mm.
Raw white honey
White honey moves up the color scale one notch and is predominantly yellow, i.e. very light amber in color, and this honey also becomes transparent.
Very light amber honey
Very light amber honey is commonly found on grocery store shelves as it is clear and has a light orange or amber color. Very light amber honey is 35-50 mm in size on the Pfund scale.
Light Amber Honey
Light amber honey is also commonly sold in grocery stores, and at this stage, the honey is not completely transparent and has an orange and amber color.
Dark Amber Honey
Dark amber honey is also called "black motor oil" and is black in color and opaque.
Amber honey
Amber honey is dark orange in color and is opaque. The size of amber honey ranges from 86 to 114 mm.
Light honey
Light honey is said to be one that has a high water content which results in reduced nutrients and has a light taste.
Now that we know the reason for the different colors of honey, we must note that the color of honey is directly related to the overall appearance, flavor, and nutritional value of the honey. Since the color is a result of the honey bee’s food source, pollen and nectar determine the flavor, appearance, and nutrition of the honey.
In addition to the above, honey gets its color from the pollen that the hive collects to form it. Plants bloom at different times of the year and bees collect honey almost year-round. A single hive can produce radically different colors of honey from one season to the next.
Now that we know why honey comes in different colors, what does light and dark honey taste like? In her book, The Honey Connoisseur, Marina Marchese notes that “each variety of honey generally falls within a color range, with slight variations, but the color doesn’t always match what we expect.”
There is medical research that confirms that light honey is mild while dark honey is heavy and rich. This is generally true with some exceptions. For example, golden pollen will make it black but does not bring a particularly sharp taste. Meanwhile, Tupelo honey is valued for its strong, fruity flavor, but it is always light yellow and clear.
Bees use whatever pollen they can find, so if there are a lot of flowering plants, the resulting honey will be a unique blend of different varieties with equally unique color and flavor. Single-variety honey such as clover has a more consistent taste but can only be produced when and where that plant is in bloom.
Most honeys on store shelves aren't particularly light or dark—most tend to be a golden orange in color—but this average honey has to be intensively processed, blended, and pasteurized to end up that way. All light and dark honeys are "non-standard," and are likely pure, raw, unfiltered honey.
Although their colors range from what beekeepers call “water white” to “motor oil black,” raw, unfiltered honeys are always cloudy and opaque, with natural pollen and flavor intact.
Natural honey colors
Before we review the colors of natural honey, we must point out that the colors of honey range from golden to white or almost black, and the colors of natural honey can be as follows:
pale yellow
It is usually obtained from flowers such as clover as it is light and floral and this type of honey is suitable for morning tea rituals, and many associate its light flavor with purity and simplicity.
Classic Gold
This type of honey is derived from wild flower sources. It is versatile and is the best choice as a substitute for sugar. Many people use it, and this color is one of the colors of natural honey.
Dark Amber
Dark amber honey, often derived from buckwheat or chestnut flowers, has a strong, distinctive flavor. Have you ever had honey that tasted salty or almost like molasses? This honey isn’t just for the taste, it’s also packed with antioxidants, making it a health powerhouse. This color is part of real honey.
Black
There is a honey that is almost black in color, derived from pine or maqui, and its strong taste may not be for everyone, but it is worth a try, and it is rich in minerals and has a very unique flavor, it is the equivalent of old wine with honey.
The Pfund scale is used to measure hue and intensity. This classification system is still used today because it provides an accurate way to measure the light-absorbing component in honey's color known as carotenoids. Hue refers to the color itself, such as blue, yellow, and green, while intensity refers to how dark or bright that color is to us.
For example, raspberry honey might be described as having relatively dark blue hues, while buckwheat might be described as having green hues that are lighter in intensity than blueberries.
The Pfund scale contains seven color categories:
- white water
- Extra white
- white
- Extra Light Amber
- Light amber
- Amber
- Dark Amber
These are the colors of natural honey that we talked about previously. The darker the honey, the higher the scale towards dark amber. The lighter the color, the lower the color category. The taste is also more moderate. As for the dark colors, the taste of the honey becomes stronger and more complex.
Some studies suggest that darker honey has a higher concentration of antioxidants and micronutrients, while lighter honey has a lower concentration.
honey color change
Before we explain the color change of honey, it must be noted that if you decide to buy raw local honey, you are getting a jar full of distinctive and unique properties, unlike grocery store honey that is pasteurized and otherwise processed. Raw honey retains all the unique elements of the hive from which it comes. There are several factors that cause honey to change color, which are:
Honey ingredients
The color of honey changes depending on the source of its ingredients, as honey bees feed on nearby flowers to collect the nectar needed to make honey, and the flavor changes depending on the type of flowers they visit, in addition to its color and texture.
For example, if a beehive's forage area consists primarily of citrus sources, the colony will produce orange blossom honey, which has a light color and a mild citrus taste. Some apiaries seek to produce a specific type of honey by surrounding their hives with specific plants and harvesting the honey immediately after a particular flower has finished blooming for the season.
pollen grains
Bees suck nectar to create their golden crop, but that's not the only part of the flower that makes its way into the final product. When a worker bee brings nectar back to the hive, she also brings pollen from the flowers she's visited.
Pollen is not an intentional ingredient in honey, but it will inevitably find its way into the honey stores as bees gather around it and transport it throughout the hive.
Other effects
Just as no two beehives are alike, no two pots of raw, local honey are the same. There are many additional reasons why honey can change in color, texture, and taste. The location and environment of a beehive can affect the honey it produces. For example, the temperatures or rainfall a hive experiences during its production season can cause the color of the honey to change.
Does the color of natural honey change?
Before we review the correct answer to the question: Does the color of natural honey change? We must note that the color of honey varies according to the source of the bees’ food, as pollen and nectar from different plants will produce different colors of honey. But does the color of natural honey change? Yes, as the color of natural honey depends on several factors, the most important of which are:
Honey preparation
Honey in the grocery store typically goes through a processing process that can affect the color. When honey is heated, it darkens in color and thus darkens as it goes through the pasteurization process. Honey can also darken while it is in a warm warehouse waiting to be transported to the store. It is worth noting that honey consumption in the United States is about 1.5 pounds per person per year.
Although there are many colors of honey, people tend to choose two categories: light or dark. We still wonder if the color of natural honey changes. Of course, yes, as bees produce honey primarily from plant nectar, and the nectar of different plants varies greatly in sugar content, available minerals, and other compounds, which explains the reason for the difference.
Seasonal variations
It is common to find many spring flowering plants that produce honey that is light in color and has a milder flavor, although there are variations even in this flavor. While the color of the honey tends to be black during the summer season, this is partly due to the nectar provided by the plants in the middle and late season.
plant nectar
We are still talking about whether the color of natural honey changes, as some flowers constantly produce nectar that results in light-colored honey, but remember that a small amount of nectar from a dark plant is enough to produce honey that tends to be dark in color. Bees collect nectar from different flowers and return it to the hive where honey is made. These original flowers are what affect the color of honey, which changes depending on the type of flower nectar collected by the bees. Honey can range from almost colorless to dark brown. For example, buckwheat honey is dark and full, while orange blossom honey is light in color and sweet.
According to the National Honey Board, there are more than 300 types of honey in the United States, and each type of honey comes from a different flower source, and different flowers in nature result in different colors and tastes of honey.
Some honeys can only be produced in certain parts of the country where that particular flower grows, for example, sage blossoms mostly come from California, while Tupelo honey is native to northern Florida.
After we have reached a satisfactory answer to the question of whether the color of natural honey changes, we must point out that the ideal color of honey is amber, as a variety of flavors are mixed together to produce perfectly balanced honey, and by mixing different colors and flavors, its taste is more complex and creative.
After we got to know the color of original honey and the different types of honey provided by wild honey , you can now choose what suits you from these types, as they are all original types that come with the best quality at the highest level in our apiaries in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
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