Beekeeping products have long been used by mankind as a medicine, a food product, as a preservative. In order for honey to be useful and not lose its properties for a long period, you need to know the rules for its storage. This article discusses the storage conditions of honey honey.

Product properties

Honey honey, in addition to nectar itself, also contains a lot of bee products, each of which also has useful properties. For example, the combination of honey and pollen is used in the treatment of chronic and acute forms of diseases of the nasopharynx. Propolis has an antibacterial property, and the wax is saturated with retinol and a complex of minerals.

Did you know? According to one version of the origin of the word "honey", its roots go back to the Hebrew language. Translation means "enchantment", "witchcraft."

• Honey, in addition to immunomodulatory and strengthening action, helps in such painful situations:
• with anemia, replenishes iron stores, increases hemoglobin;
• cleanses the blood of toxins and bad cholesterol;
• promotes digestion processes;
• improves metabolic processes, normalizes the water-salt balance;
• improves the functioning of the liver and biliary organs;
• inhibits pathogenic microorganisms of the mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract, oral cavity, nose and eyes;
• improves the condition with allergies, asthma, migraine pains;
• calms the nervous system;
• used externally for the treatment of skin and for cosmetic purposes.

Enemies of Cell Nectar

The safety and properties of the product may be affected by external factors.

Sunlight

Under the influence of ultraviolet radiation, many substances in the composition of nectar are destroyed or change their structure. Naturally, the altered chemical composition does not have all of the above properties. The same applies to high storage temperatures: the higher the temperature, the more useful properties the cell content loses.

Important! Honey cannot be heated to more than + 50 ° С; it not only loses its properties, but also becomes toxic.

Wax moth

Shreds or shashen, as the people call the pest of honeycombs, is similar to food moth. Her body size is from 13 to 30 mm, the color is gray-brown. Nectar loves to feast on both an adult and caterpillars, and a moth breeds quickly. In addition to the fact that the pest eats wax and honey, it destroys the honeycomb and leaves the products of its vital activity, rendering the product completely unusable. The parasite's appearance depends on how well cellular nectar is stored. Moth is afraid of low temperatures, starting from 0 ° C.

Moisture

The main reason for the appearance of mold fungi is increased humidity, above 65%, in combination with heat. The fungus quickly spreads over the surface, penetrating quite deeply into spores. The danger of mold is that some of its species are capable of causing allergies; deaths are known if it enters the stomach. Due to moisture, honey can begin to ferment, which levels its healing qualities.

Subtleties and features of the storage process

It is possible to provide a delicacy with a long-term preservation of all useful properties, if you know all the nuances: where to store, in what conditions.

Tara

Ideal is clay or glassware with a tight-fitting lid. Honeycombs have the ability to absorb the smells surrounding them, so a lid is needed.

Important! You can not store the product in a metal bowl without enamel: the surface under the influence of a sweet product is oxidized and releases toxic substances.

As for glassware, it is desirable that the glass is dark in color, does not transmit light. Can be stored in enameled dishes. Our ancestors kept the product in wooden containers, but here it must be taken into account that conifers are not suitable.

Popular plastic food containers are also suitable for this purpose, but no matter how high-quality the material is, when it is stored for a long time, honey suffocates.

A place

It is most convenient to store honeycombs in an apartment in the refrigerator, on shelves for food, where the temperature is not too low. In a private house, a cellar or basement is ideal, provided the room is dry, with a ventilation system.

Microclimate

Ideal conditions for storing nectar are the following factors:

• temperature - + 3 ... + 10 ° С;
• humidity - 50-55%;
• air - free from pungent odors, clean and fresh;
• lighting is absent.

Honey storage periods in honeycombs

According to many historical sources, honey is one of the most durable products. Archaeologists have found a product whose age totaled several thousand years, while it was suitable. A logical question arises: how long can a product be stored without losing all its properties. The optimal period is no more than 3 years, since with each year the contents of the honeycomb lose some of their properties, especially with regard to the antimicrobial effect and the properties of cosmetics.

Did you know? The most expensive bee nectar is considered to be "Life Mel" made in Israel. For 1 kg of goodies you have to pay $ 150-170.

Beekeeper Recommendations

Buying honeycombs from experienced beekeepers, it will not be amiss to ask: how to store them properly.

So, some tricks from beekeepers:

1. Small portions can be kept indoors, but no more than 6 months. At the same time, take into account the necessary lighting, humidity and temperature.
2. In a private house, beekeepers themselves most often keep their honeycombs in boxes made of natural wood, coating all the existing cracks with putty.
3. The purchased delicacy, which was located in a plastic container from the seller, it is advisable to transfer to a different container at home. It is not known how long the plastic was exposed to light.
4. When stored in a wooden container, as mentioned above, the needles do not fit. It contains a lot of tarry and essential substances that can give bitterness.
5. Honeycombs should not be stored in the freezer: at such low temperatures, the wax will burst and the nectar will flow out.
6. If a plastic container is chosen as the container, divide the honeycomb into several parts, and place in a different container. The closer the product is to be folded, the sooner it will stick together.

Honey is recognized as a healing product and traditional and official medicine, and cellular nectar is doubly useful. When buying goodies, consider two points: the honeycomb must be sealed, and the older the sweetness, the darker the color of the honeycomb.