> Until last year I used the aforementioned "melt-belt". It does work...

This whole topic scares me.

Food handling is a serious matter, and all manner of inexperienced people are
casually doing all kinds of things with honey, then eating it themselves or
selling it to the public.  I've said before and I'll say it again: Knowing what
I know now, I'd be a bit worried to eat honey produced and sold by many
beekeepers I have met.  They simply don't have the knowledge to handle the
product.

* Honey should not be heated.  Period.  100 degrees F is the limit of warming.
After that damage occurs.  Nonetheless some compromises are possible if the
damage is understood and acceptable.

* Containers used for storage and heating have limitations.  At room
temperature, plastics are generally considered to be okay (but I say that with
some reservations due to potential polymer migration into the product over
time).  However, *heated* plastics can give off undesirable compounds and when
at the point of melting this effect is at its worst.  Metal and painted
containers have their problems too.  Stainless steel and glass seem to be the
only surfaces which are completely safe, and I'm betting that there is some
minor difficulty even with SS.  I've never heard a hint of problems with glass,
which is the most inert container material and is thus the best if reheating is
contemplated.

Okay, having said that, reality takes over and we all find ourselves in
situations where honey needs to be liquefied.  Commercial honey packing and
distribution as we know and love it would simply not be possible without heating
honey over 100 degrees F.  That's because most North American honey granulates
fairly quickly and because there is a perceived need for filtration and
pasteurization to enhance attractiveness and shelf life.  Beekeepers also
sometimes wish to transfer solid honey from one container to another. (Like when
your tank sets up solid over a weekend).

Nonetheless heat damages honey, and the surfaces honey contacts in the process
change its characteristics and nature and may introduce undesirable odours or
even toxic substances. Heating honey in plastic or painted containers is a
questionable practice at best.

The best honey liquefication systems used in commercial plants release the honey
from the container walls initially and allow the chunk to descend over warmed
coils or pipes of inert material held at controlled temperatures into a vat that
is stirred constantly and held at the lowest temperature practical.  Even these
systems do their damage to the product.

Using heat belts is particularly bad because the middle of the container is
heated while the ends are exposed to room temp and are simultaneously cooling
the product.  Although they fall in the 'necessary evil' class, modified
freezers and fridges or hot rooms are much better because the heat is
distributed over the entire surface and controlled by thermostats.  Air
circulation or frequent stirring can ensure that the heat is distributed to the
centre of the mass as quickly as possible to minimize exposure to high heat and
the consequent increased damage longer exposures and higher temperatures cause.

The best advice for those who care about honey is to fill it into the desired
container immediately after extraction and not attempt to remelt it.

If it is absolutely necessary to heat honey, choose a plan that ensures that the
honey is removed from contact with potentially chemically active surfaces and
exposed to as little heat as possible for the shortest possible time.

There is a lot on this and other honey quality issues in the archives.

allen

http://www.internode.net/HoneyBee/
---
What's another word for Thesaurus?  -- Steven Wright


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