>   So is there any real safety or flavor risk with bare aluminum and 
acidic honey?

I would not worry about it.  In my experience, bare aluminum is found in 
many extractors and has been considered to be harmless by most, but 
local authorities should be consulted when setting up a commercial 
operation.

What the local authorities may specify as acceptable probably varies 
from place to place, and since there is no real data on how much 
aluminum is acceptable in a diet (but see below), some may carry the 
precautionary principle to an extreme.

Even if there were some tiny worry about aluminum in honey, as most 
beekeepers observe, the first honey to contact the aluminum tends to 
coat the extractor parts and stays on it until the extractor is washed, 
then goes down a drain.

There is no perfect surface that is practical.  Every material is a 
compromise.  Even stainless steel, which is considered ideal for 
extractor construction, can release minute amounts of metals into food.  
The question is whether the amount and type of contamination is likely 
to be significant, given all the other sources of such metals and the 
fact that the body can deal with some intake of each.

Health Canada says 
<http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/prod/cook-cuisinier-eng.php>
---
Aluminum is lightweight, conducts heat well and is fairly inexpensive, 
making it a popular choice for cooking.
Canadians normally take in about 10 milligrams of aluminum daily, mostly 
from food. Aluminum pots and pans provide only one or two milligrams of 
the total. While aluminum has been associated with Alzheimer's disease, 
there is no definite link proven. The World Health Organization 
estimates that adults can consume more than 50 milligrams of aluminum 
daily without harm.
During cooking, aluminum dissolves most easily from worn or pitted pots 
and pans. The longer food is cooked or stored in aluminum, the greater 
the amount that gets into food. Leafy vegetables and acidic foods, such 
as tomatoes and citrus products, absorb the most aluminum.
---

Given that 10 mg is quite a lot and seems to be normal intake, any you 
get from your extractor is likely to be dwarfed by the other sources.  
Will it affect flavour?  I can't imagine it.

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