Is heating honey good for you?

Honey is popular for its delicious taste and numerous health benefits. However, many people wonder whether heating honey diminishes its nutritional value.

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) in the United States, heating honey to 140 degrees Celsius for 2 minutes significantly alters its natural properties. Specifically, its specific gravity decreases, while indicators such as pH, HMF compounds, browning, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant capacity increase. These changes suggest that heated honey may lose quality and nutritional value.

Honey has many health benefits, but when heated to high temperatures, important nutrients can be destroyed.

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At what temperature does heating honey cause it to lose its benefits?

According to Dr. Nguyen Thu Ha, a specialistat FPT Long Chau Pharmacy System, when cooked or heated at high temperatures, honey can change in color, consistency, and lose many important nutritional values. In fact, the heating process can cause honey to become thick and sticky like glue, losing its original properties.

Pure, unprocessed honey is highly valued for its many beneficial enzymes, amino acids, vitamins C, D, E, K, B vitamins, beta-carotene, minerals, essential oils, and antioxidants. However, heating it to high temperatures can cause these components to decompose or change. According to NCBI, heating honey not only reduces its overall quality but also causes the loss of many important enzymes and nutrients, thus affecting its effectiveness.

According to experts, heating honey to 40 degrees Celsius destroys invertase – a crucial enzyme in honey. Heating to 50 degrees Celsius for more than 48 hours causes the honey to caramelize, converting its valuable sugar components into regular sugar. Heating honey above 60 degrees Celsius for more than two hours causes rapid decomposition. If the temperature exceeds 160 degrees Celsius for any duration, the honey will decompose and caramelize immediately.

In short, sudden temperature changes will cause honey to lose its quality. The ideal temperature for storing mature honey is around 10 degrees Celsius.

According to Doctor Thu Ha, although honey has many health benefits, when heated to high temperatures, important nutrients can be destroyed, potentially creating compounds that are harmful to the body.

To ensure honey retains its full nutritional value, we should avoid excessive heating and store it at the appropriate temperature. This helps preserve the enzymes, vitamins, and minerals that are beneficial to health.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dun-nong-mat-ong-co-tot-185250430005836301.htm