Is unpasteurized honey better than pasteurized?

Because pasteurization exposes the honey to high temperatures, it may destroy or remove honey’s natural properties. This means that raw honey may offer more powerful health benefits, in terms of healing wounds and fighting infections, than regular honey.

Is unpasteurized honey safe?

Are All Types of Honey Safe to Eat? Yes- pasteurized, unpasteurized and raw honey are all safe to consume and are great additions to your daily diet!

Why is unpasteurized honey bad?

Raw honey can contain spores of the bacteria Clostridium botulinum. This bacteria is especially harmful to babies or children under the age of one. It may cause botulism poisoning, which results in life-threatening paralysis ( 26 , 27 ). However, botulism is very rare among healthy adults and older children.

Does honey need to be pasteurized?

Honey is low in humidity and high in acidity, which means that bacteria cannot survive in it. So, unlike milk and juice, honey is not pasteurized for food safety reasons but, rather, for quality purposes. Pasteurization of honey reduces the chance of fermentation and also delays granulation.

Should unpasteurized honey be refrigerated?

If bacteria cannot grow in honey, then it cannot spoil. This basically gives it an indefinite shelf life. Liquid honey however should be stored in your cupboard at room temperature as if it is kept in the refrigerator; the cooler temperature will promote and speed up the crystallization of liquid honey.

Is raw unpasteurized honey good for you?

Raw honey contains beneficial bacteria and nutrients. But it can also contain harmful bacteria that causes botulism, a rare but serious illness. This is especially dangerous for babies, so you should never feed raw honey to a baby younger than 1 year old.

How do you tell if honey has been pasteurized?

To make sure you are buying raw honey, look at the label. It should say “100% raw” or “unpasteurized”. Words like “organic” and “pure” do not indicate that the honey was unheated. If the label passed the test, look at the product more closely.