METHODS OF HONEY TESTING FOR BEE KEEPERS.* 



By C. A. Browne, Ph. D., 

 Chief, Sugar Laboratory, Bureau of Chemistry. 



The most common forms of adulteration which are practiced at 

 present in the sophistication of honey are the addition of commercial 

 glucose, cane sugar, and invert sugar. The adulteration of honey- 

 by dilution with water is less commonly practiced; such addition 

 is easily recognized by the increased fluidity of the honey, and there 

 is, besides, the increased danger that the product will spoil through 

 fermentation. It is often desirable, however, for the bee keeper to 

 know the approximate percentage of moisture in his products in 

 order to avoid the marketing of unripe honey which might exceed 

 the limit for water allowed by the standards (25 per cent). The 

 average water content of American honey, according to the average 

 for 99 pure samples analyzed in the Bureau of Chemistry, is 17.59 

 per cent, so that there is above this a margin of more than 7 per cent 

 in which the moisture of honeys may be allowed to fluctuate. 



The accurate determination of moisture in honey in the chemical 

 laboratory is a somewhat complicated process. A carefully weighed 

 amount of the honey is evaporated at a temperature of about 160° F. 

 in a vacuum chamber until no more moisture is given off, and the loss 

 in weight during the interval is calculated as w T ater. For the bee 

 keeper such a method of determination is too involved and compli- 

 cated ; there is, however, a much simpler method by means of which 

 the moisture content of a honey can be determined with ease and 

 rapidity and with a fair degree of accuracy. This is by means of a 

 specific gravity float or spindle. The liquefied honey is poured into 

 a tall cylinder and immersed in hot water of 170° F. temperature. 

 The honey is stirred with a thermometer and as soon as the tempera- 

 ture has reached 160° F. the spindle is lowered into the honey and 

 allowed to come to rest. The point at which the surface of the honey 



a This paper was prepared by Doctor Browne of the Bureau of Chemistry after 

 the completion of his work on honey analysis. For greater detail the reader 

 is referred to Bulletin 110 of the Bureau of Chemistry, entitled " Chemical 

 Analysis and Composition of American Honeys.'* This bulletin may be obtained 

 from the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washing- 

 ton, D. C, It can not be obtained from the Bureau of Entomology. — E. F. P. 



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