Honey analysis

Optical and digital refractometers, conductivity meters and accessories for honey quality checks. Compare moisture and °Brix scales, measuring ranges and the procedure required by each instrument.

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Joshua Ivars
Joshua Ivars
With over 15 years of experience in beekeeping, Joshua collaborates with the national beekeeping congress as part of the scientific committee in the area of innovation and sustainability.

How to control the quality of your honey

Analysing honey isn't about making life complicated: it's about avoiding problems before they reach the customer. The first figure I'd always look at is the moisture, because honey that's too moist can ferment and honey that's too dry can be very viscous and hard to work with. For that, a good well-calibrated refractometer should be in any extraction or bottling room, however small. But I wouldn't stop there. Depending on the type of honey and the commercial destination, it can also be worth measuring conductivity, colour, temperature, weight and batch stability. Conductivity helps a lot to distinguish floral honeys from honeydew honeys; colour is key if you sell by varieties or seek uniformity; and temperature matters every time you heat, decrystallize, filter or blend.

My advice is to handle each batch as if tomorrow you had to explain it: which apiary it is, when it was extracted, what moisture it had, whether it was blended, with which lot and for what. Blending honeys can be a very useful tool to improve consistency or adjust a parameter, but it shouldn't be done “by eye” or to cover up defects. First you measure, then you decide and afterwards you record. And here I'll take a clear stand: selling honey without controlling moisture or batches is taking an unnecessary risk. You don't need to set up a complete laboratory from day one, but you do need a serious base: a calibrated refractometer, clear records, labelled containers and temperature control. For finer analyses —pollen, HMF, diastase, residues or botanical origin— we're already into the lab, but basic control starts in your own honey house.

Honey analysis tools - Measure the humidity content, color,etc

Honey analysis

What each instrument measures

A refractometer with a honey moisture scale gives a direct water-content reading. The ATAGO PAL-22S displays moisture from 12 to 30%; the MASTER-HONEY/BX combines moisture and °Brix scales. The Hanna HI96801, however, displays °Brix: its reading is not a water percentage and should not automatically be converted using “100 minus Brix”. To obtain moisture content, use a validated honey conversion or an instrument with that scale.

A conductivity meter measures electrical conductivity in a prepared solution, not with the probe placed directly in honey. The result helps characterise honey alongside other analyses; on its own, it neither certifies botanical origin nor rules out adulteration. A temperature logger documents storage or heating conditions but does not measure HMF or diastase activity.

Checks in the honey room help you make decisions and compare batches. HMF, diastase, residue or origin analyses that require specialised methods should be assigned to a laboratory according to the purpose of the check.

The reference values in the standard (Directive 2001/110/EC)

  • Moisture: no more than 20% water in general, 23% for heather (Calluna) honey. Commercially, around 18% is the target, because above it the risk of fermentation rises.
  • Conductivity: up to 0.8 mS/cm for blossom honey and 0.8 or more for honeydew and chestnut honey, with exceptions such as strawberry tree, bell heather or eucalyptus honey.
  • HMF and diastase: HMF no more than 40 mg/kg and diastase no less than 8 on the Schade scale (3 for low-enzyme honeys such as citrus, if their HMF does not exceed 15 mg/kg).

How to compare instruments

  • Scale and accuracy. Choose the parameter you need. Displaying tenths does not imply ±0.1 accuracy: the PAL-22S has a resolution of 0.1 moisture percentage points and a stated accuracy of ±0.2.
  • Sample and temperature. Take a representative sample, clean the prism and allow the sample and instrument to stabilise as instructed in the manual. Automatic temperature compensation has a working range.
  • A comparable method. For conductivity, the IHC method uses 20 g of honey dry matter and water made up to a final volume of 100 ml, with a reading at 20 °C. Weighing 20 g of honey without correcting for its moisture is not the same.

If you intend to heat honey or reduce its moisture, establish which measurement you need before and after processing. Keep the result with the batch record and measurement conditions.

Do you have any questions about Honey analysis?

Can the same calibration liquid be used for every refractometer?

No. The liquid and adjustment value depend on the model. The Hanna HI96801 is calibrated with distilled or deionised water; the ATAGO PAL-22S also supports water calibration. Other refractometers need specific standards: ATAGO offers a 60% sucrose solution for the MASTER-HONEY/BX. Do not use calibration oil simply because the instrument measures honey. Check its manual for the liquid, temperature and reference value. Automatic temperature compensation does not replace calibration.