Honey is both a food and a medicine, and it has been used as such for thousands of years. Fresh pure honey can contain bacteria spores that when mixed with liquid can begin to reproduce. If you want to remove bacterial spores and sterilise honey at home, the best method is heat treatment. Heat treatment does change the colour and taste of the honey, and it can remove some of the healing properties.

Place a double boiler on the stove and bring the water in the bottom pot to a simmer.

Fill the second pot of the double boiler with the honey you want to sterilise.

  • Honey is both a food and a medicine, and it has been used as such for thousands of years.
  • Fill the second pot of the double boiler with the honey you want to sterilise.

Place the second pot of the double boiler into the simmering water and place a candy thermometer into the honey.

Wait for the honey to reach 60 degrees Celsius, then adjust the stove to maintain this temperature. Treat for 22 minutes at this temperature to sterilise the honey.

Pour the treated honey into sterile jars to store.

TIP

Gamma irradiation, treatment with sulphite and microfiltration are other methods of non-heat sterilisation, however they are not very accessible for home use.