Igor Sokolsky, who holds a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences, indicates that when honey is heated above 40-45 degrees Celsius, it loses its fundamental therapeutic properties, and harmful substances may form.
He explained that honey is a complex natural product, whose value is not only determined by sugars, but also by its biologically active components. He pointed out that the enzymes in honey, responsible for breaking down starches and sucrose, facilitate its digestion and grant it unique properties. These protein enzymes are irreversibly damaged when honey is heated above 40–45 degrees Celsius.
Honey contains vitamins, phytopesticides, and antioxidants, but heat treatment reduces the concentration and effectiveness of these beneficial compounds, practically turning hot honey into a regular sweet syrup, consisting of glucose and fructose.
Sokolsky pointed out that the most dangerous phenomenon when heating honey is the formation of harmful substances. When heated in an acidic environment, where the pH of honey ranges between 3.5 and4.5, fructose undergoes dehydration, leading to the formation of hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF), a toxic compound. High doses of HMF are known to cause cancer in animals, while no direct risk to humans has been proven, but the World Health Organization warns against excessive consumption of foods rich in HMF. The higher the temperature and the longer the heating duration, the greater the amount of HMF in the honey.
Additionally, after heating, honey loses its floral flavor and delicate scent, and its taste becomes sweeter with a caramel flavor.
