Bee Farmers and Technology
Bee farmers that are into Apiculture want new technologies that will stop their honey from crystallizing and forming granules while the honey waits on shelves for customers to purchase it.
After the honey sits for too long the farmers are getting calls back from the operators of supermarkets to take back their crystallized honey.
“Customers keep rejecting honey with particles thinking that we have added other things if we can be helped to get skills on how to keep honey in liquid form as demanded by customers, this will push our business forward,” said Christine Ogwang the processor of Gates Honey.
Senior entomologist and president of the Entomological Association of Uganda, Tom Onzivua says that crystallized honey does not mean that the honey has gone bad. When fructose is high it turns into granules (honey is composed of simple sugars like fructose).
“To reverse this put the container into warm water for the honey to melt but honey shouldn’t be boiled because this destroyed its chemical properties and nothing should be added as this leads to adulteration,” explained Onzivua.
The levels of crystallization vary depending on the geographical setting and the type of vegetation where the bees are kept and where they get their nectar.
