Chris wrote:
>Pasteur designed his process to kill bacteria. What bacteria are there in  
honey that need to be killed by Pasteurising?  What evidence is there that  
they are killed if the honey is treated as per the chart?

I believe that the pasteurizing process is more important for yeast in honey than for bacteria.  The Canadian regulations allow for honey to be Canada Number One grade at about 1% higher moisture if it has been pasteurized.  Presumably because the yeasts will be killed.

In the Philippines recently, moisture tests I did on honey from wild apis dorsata nests that honey hunters harvested were high, about 23%, which is in accordance with what I had read in papers before going.  I suggested that they try pasteurization.  Hopefully, that will increase the shelf life somewhat.  The flavour was nice (rainforest trees).

I also would like to comment on what Bob wrote about having to heat honey to 150 degrees F (66 C) to give liquid honey a long shelf life. I do agree with this.  I have tried 140 F (62 C) many times with mixed results.  With 2009 honey here in PEI, which had a large amount of canola and goldenrod, and a very low moisture content, it really wants to crystallize, and the higher temp. certainly seems to add shelf life.  I hate heating honey, but liquid honey continues to outsell creamed honey here in Atlantic Canada.  

I also note that our Canada Food Inspection Agency has dragged its feet for MANY MANY years on the matter of raw honey (or minimally processed as they prefer to call it) despite a lot of beekeeper and consumer desire for such a grade class.  It is forced to be classed as Canada NO. 3 now,  even if it has perfect moisture,  because you can't strain unheated honey through an 80 mesh filter.

Stan

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