Glossary
A process of heating honey to temperatures above 160 degrees Fahrenheit to kill yeast cells and delay crystallization. While pasteurization extends commercial shelf life, it destroys beneficial enzymes, pollen, and antioxidants that make raw honey valuable.
Pasteurization was originally developed by Louis Pasteur for wine and later applied to milk to kill harmful bacteria. Honey, however, has a naturally low water content and high acidity that make it inhospitable to most bacteria. So why heat it at all?
The primary reason is yeast. Raw honey contains dormant yeast spores that can activate if the honey's moisture content rises above 18%. Active yeast causes fermentation, which changes the flavor and creates carbon dioxide. For large-scale distributors who store honey in warehouses for months, this is a supply chain risk they want to eliminate.
The secondary reason is aesthetics. Pasteurization delays crystallization, keeping honey in the clear, syrupy state that consumers expect from a grocery store shelf. Crystallized honey is perfectly safe and actually preferred in many parts of the world, but the American market has been conditioned to view it as spoiled. Commercial producers heat their honey to prevent that perception problem.
Honey contains a suite of enzymes, most notably diastase and invertase, that contribute to its antimicrobial and digestive properties. These enzymes begin degrading at temperatures above 95 degrees Fahrenheit and are largely destroyed by 160 degrees. At pasteurization temperatures, the glucose oxidase enzyme, which produces hydrogen peroxide as a natural antibacterial agent, is also compromised.
Pollen is another casualty. Commercial processors combine pasteurization with ultra-filtration, forcing heated honey through extremely fine filters that strip out every pollen grain. Without pollen, the honey cannot be traced to its geographic or floral origin, and the trace nutritional benefits of pollen are lost entirely.
The resulting product is shelf-stable, uniform, and visually appealing, but it bears little resemblance to what the bees actually produced. It is honey in name, without the substance that makes honey remarkable.
At Goodfriend Honey Co., we never pasteurize. Our honey goes from the extractor to the jar at ambient temperature. We accept that it will crystallize over time because we would rather deliver honey with its full nutritional profile intact than produce a prettier product that has been stripped of everything that matters.
Pasteurized honey still contains natural sugars and can serve as a quick energy source, but many of the enzymes, pollen, and antioxidants that distinguish honey from plain sugar syrup are diminished or destroyed during the heating process.
If the label says 'raw' or 'unpasteurized,' it has not been heated. Most commercial honey sold in grocery stores has been pasteurized unless explicitly labeled otherwise. Raw honey often has a cloudy appearance and may crystallize, both signs it has not been processed.
Yes, pasteurized honey is safe to eat. Pasteurization does not make honey unsafe; it simply reduces the nutritional and enzymatic profile. The safety concern with honey applies only to infants under 12 months, regardless of whether the honey is raw or pasteurized.
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