Defects in Honey

The American Honey Tasting Society. The natural enemy of honey is time, temperature, moisture and sunlight but it also can be an uninformed beekeeper. There are factors directly related to the beekeeper’s management of their colonies, from the method they bottle their honey and all the procedures in between including harvesting and storing that will influence the quality of their honey. Careless practices can result in off odors and flavors that honey sensory experts define as defects. Many of these defects cannot be detected through laboratory testing and for this reason the skills of a trained honey taster become necessary.

This class will review common defects found in honey through sensory analysis from the recent article in Bee Culture magazine: Sensory Analysis in Honey Can Make You a Better Beekeeper, By C. Marina Marchese and Gian Luigi Marcazzan.