>> Mix in a sorbate to prevent fermentation.
>
> Do people do this in the US?  It would be illegal to add anything to
> honey in the UK.

Don't know if people do it in the US.  Don't know of anyone who does that in
Canada, where I live, either.   I was writing about what _can_ work, not
what is legal in specific circumstances.  That would be a much more limited
discussion.  The law and custom surrounding what is marketable in various
situations is a different, although important subject, and I am glad you
mentioned it, for anyone who may not think of such things.  Of course anyone
contemplating any of the remedies I mentioned should consider legality and
practicality, and rule out any that are inappropriate in their situation.

Although adding sorbate or another common food preservative can forestall
fermentation, marketing the honey, as honey, we assume but do not know for
certain, would obviously be inappropriate most places after adding sorbate,
even the tiny amounts required.  The amount of honey mentioned was small and
there was no mention of marketing it, so it ocurred to me that sorbate might
be an option.

It seemed obvious to me that the honey is not marketable in its current
state, except for blending purposes or as a food ingredient, so I was
thinking particularly of the context where the honey was to be thinned
further to make syrup, or used in preserves.  In either case either
pasteurization or stopping growth of yeasts with something like a sorbates
could be appropriate.

Sorbates or other preservatives are commonly added to many sweet, high
moisture products to prevent spoilage.  Adding sorbate might be perfectly
okay if the honey was being held to be used at some future date for a use
such as making preserves and the person using it were aware of the sorbate.
I doubt that this option is one that many would choose, but it is worth
knowing about.

As for legality in various places, I am no lawyer, but I know that -- most
places -- you can do anything you want with your own honey -- unless you
plan to sell it as pure honey.  There are also special circumstances where
honey can be altered and still sold (but usually not AFAIK as 'pure honey').
An educated beekeeper should be aware of all options, and it was in that
context that I mentioned sorbate.

There is no doubt, however, that adding sorbate would be inappropriate if
the honey were destined to be marketed as pure honey in most markets, and I
assumed that everyone knows that, but, noneless, the knowledge that sorbate
or other food preservatives could be used in some circumstances may prove to
be invaluable to someone.

allen
A Beekeeper's Diary: http://www.honeybeeworld.com/diary/

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