The difference between raw and unpasteurized honey, and which to buy, depending on your needs
Honey can be purchased in many forms. Raw honey is honey taken directly from the hive and strained, in its most natural form, while pasteurized honey is filtered and heated to eliminate yeasts and dissolve crystals, making it an easily pourable, uniform liquid.
What is the difference between raw honey and unpasteurized honey?
Raw honey is simply taken from the honeycomb, passed through a strainer to remove impurities such as pieces of wax from the hive and bee parts, and then put into bottles and jars. It is not heated at all, so it keeps all its naturally occurring nutrients. It looks a bit more opaque and crystallizes over time. It may have a stronger, more natural flavour than pasteurized honey. However, the word “raw” is not a legally defined term internationally, so it's not a guaranteed standard.
Pasteurized honey, on the other hand, is heated to 63°C for 30 minutes, sometimes up to 77°C, in order to kill yeasts, which can ferment the honey, and dissolve the glucose crystals so that the honey doesn't crystallize over time and stays liquid. After that, it's filtered very finely. It looks clearer and more uniform, pours easily, and lasts a long time on the shelf. The downside of the heating process is that it also removes enzymes, antioxidants, and pollen, all of which have health benefits. Pasteurized honey is commonly used as a drink sweetener or in baking, especially since it's readily available in almost all supermarkets and usually cheaper.
What compounds are affected when honey is pasteurized?
Here's what's affected when honey is heated and filtered:
- Enzymes: When honey is being produced, bees add enzymes to it, like diastase, invertase, and glucose oxidase, which are beneficial to health. For example, glucose oxidase produces hydrogen peroxide, which is what makes honey antibacterial. When honey is heated, these compounds are lost, unless they are heat-stable, such as methylglyoxal in Manuka honey.
- Antioxidants: Honey contains natural antioxidants, which are also brought down during heating.
- Pollen: Fine filtration removes pollen grains, which are used to identify the honey's origin in a lab, meaning it eliminates traceability. This risks adulteration, as the honey can be from any origin, regardless of the label.
Can babies have pasteurized honey?
A common misconception is that pasteurized honey is safe for babies, but this is untrue: no form of honey should be given to babies under 12 months of age.
Honey can contain dormant spores of Clostridium botulinum, the bacterium that causes botulism, a life-threatening illness. A baby does not have the digestive defences to handle these spores, which may germinate in the intestine and produce a toxin, leading to muscle weakness, poor feeding, and breathing failure.
The heat used to pasteurize honey does not reliably destroy botulism spores, so pasteurized honey is no safer than raw honey for babies.
Should you buy raw or unpasteurized honey?
- If you are looking to maximize honey's health properties, like its antibacterial activity, enzymes, antioxidants, and full flavour, buy raw honey. It can be taken to help with a sore throat, pollen allergies, and immunity.
- For baking or bulk sweetening, pasteurized honey works great. Oven heat or hot tea will break down honey's delicate compounds anyway, so you would be paying more for the raw product but not getting the benefits. A bonus is that it won't crystallize.
What to look out for when buying raw honey
When buying raw honey, it is important to look past the raw label and check for a named single-origin, a local beekeeper or farmers' market, "unfiltered" on the label, or a protected designation (PDO/PGI), which enforces a strict limit on Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF)
For wholesale purchases, it is important to ask for HMF quantity and diastase activity, which indicate if the honey was overheated and if it is fresh.
It is best not to refrigerate honey, as cold temperatures can speed crystallization. Keep it sealed, at room temperature, away from light, and it will last a very long time.
