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Author Topic: Does Filtering or Straining Honey Remove Pollen From Honey?  (Read 6847 times)

Offline Foxhound

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Does Filtering or Straining Honey Remove Pollen From Honey?
« on: December 12, 2015, 11:05:16 am »
Does Filtering or Straining Honey Remove Pollen From Honey?

Honey bees bounce from flower  to flower, pulling nectar and collecting pollen from each flower. Day in and day out, foraging for these ingredients, bringing loads back to the hive. Either on purpose or accidentally, pollen...

http://www.foxhoundbeecompany.com/beekeepingblog/2015/12/1/does-filtering-or-straining-honey-remove-pollen-from-honey
« Last Edit: December 12, 2015, 02:18:29 pm by Foxhound »

Offline flyboy

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Re: Does Filtering or Straining Honey Remove Pollen From Honey?
« Reply #1 on: December 12, 2015, 02:44:18 pm »
Thanks for that. It never occurred to me to ask.
Cheers
Al
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Offline sc-bee

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Re: Does Filtering or Straining Honey Remove Pollen From Honey?
« Reply #2 on: December 12, 2015, 03:48:54 pm »
Depending on the size of the strainer determines what is removed. Bee supply strainers to not remove all pollen. A lot of store bought honey is ultra filtered, I believe under pressure, and most heated. This removes pollen and reduces particles for sugars to crystallize on. Remember the old rock candy experiment? At least I am old enough to remember it ;) As you know there is a push for the pollen to be left in honey for an identifier.
John 3:16

Offline sc-bee

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Re: Does Filtering or Straining Honey Remove Pollen From Honey?
« Reply #3 on: December 12, 2015, 03:56:42 pm »
A statement from Sue Bee:

Statement from William F. Huset, VP of R&D, Sioux Honey Association:

Honey produced by Sioux Honey Association is not ultra-filtered.
All raw honey purchased by Sioux Honey contains pollen and can be tested for country of origin by pollen analysis.
The presence, or absence, of pollen in our honey products is not a food safety issue, nor is its presence required by the USDA, the FDA or American tradition.
Sioux Honey filters honey to remove hive debris and prevent granulation, which incidentally removes some of the pollen.
Sioux Honey filters honey according to USDA standards; the same way we have filtered honey since the 1950s. This filtration is macrofiltration, designed to remove visible particles, and much less aggressive than ultrafiltration.
 
John 3:16

Offline sc-bee

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Re: Does Filtering or Straining Honey Remove Pollen From Honey?
« Reply #4 on: December 12, 2015, 04:02:30 pm »
Read this among other things at  The National Honey Board website:

Honey Nutrition Information

A collection of nutrition research articles, as well as a link to USDA?s nutrient database.

COMPARISON OF VITAMIN, MINERAL AND ANTIOXIDANT LEVELS IN RAW AND PROCESSED HONEY
Ropa Science Research

Research Project Funded by the National Honey Board ? D. Ropa, 2012

This 2012 study examined the effects of commercial processing on the pollen and nutrient content of honey.  Processing reduced the pollen content of the honey, but did not affect the nutrient content.  The micronutrient profile of honey is not associated with its pollen content and is not affected by commercial processing.

The 2012 study and abstract with statistical analysis was presented at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Conference in Boston April 20-24, 2013.

http://www.honey.com/honey-at-home/honey-nutrition-information/
John 3:16

Offline flyboy

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Re: Does Filtering or Straining Honey Remove Pollen From Honey?
« Reply #5 on: December 12, 2015, 04:14:47 pm »
Thanks sc-bee,

I have a notion that certain foods of which honey is one, are better off in as close to it's natural state as possible. That means the less filtration the better. Nothing to back up that statement.. just a hunch. There are a growing # of PPL out there with that opinion.

For instance honey that has been heated gives me digestive issues. I and my wife consume a lot of unheated honey.

Same is true with either pasteurized or homogenised milk. I can consume unpasteurized unhomogenized milk till the cows come home. :)
Cheers
Al
First packages - 2 queens and bees May 17 2014 - doing well

Offline gww

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Re: Does Filtering or Straining Honey Remove Pollen From Honey?
« Reply #6 on: December 12, 2015, 07:35:23 pm »
I must say that I always liked pasteurized milk better then milk from the cow.  I do like milk enough that I thought about getting a cow though.
Cheers
gww

Offline flyboy

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Re: Does Filtering or Straining Honey Remove Pollen From Honey?
« Reply #7 on: December 12, 2015, 08:02:38 pm »
Years ago I used to drink about a litre a day, (pasteurized) till after about 15 - 20 years of that, I started getting all kinds of issues - belly felt like a balloon all the time, lower back pain and an enlarged prostate (precancerous), always felt tired, etc.

Then I went to Doc who said nothing was wrong, so I tried eliminating things from my diet and lo and behold when I gave up milk, in less than a day practically everything went away. Prostate became less swollen, but it stayed benign.

The pasteurization destroys the enzymes in it so it is hard to digest. I stumbled on an article about raw milk and decided to try it. I can drink all I want and straight from the fridge, of raw milk, cheese, you name it. Cooked cheese is still a big problem for us, but we used to go through a round of raw cheese in a week or so, but now we cannot get it anymore or it is loaded with salt.  :cry:
Cheers
Al
First packages - 2 queens and bees May 17 2014 - doing well

Offline gww

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Re: Does Filtering or Straining Honey Remove Pollen From Honey?
« Reply #8 on: December 12, 2015, 09:11:39 pm »
Fly...
Your symtoms before quiting the prossessed milk sound like me.  I just remember as a kid that the milk didn't always taste the same and after you skimed the cream the milk would have little blue streaks in it.  It would really get a garlic taste as certain times of the year. 

We used to pay a dime for a half pint of milk at school and I used to get extra at lunch every day and always felt it was a treat.  I pretty much drink milk with every mill and coffee for the rest of the day.  I hardly ever touch water or soda. 

I really did think about getting a milk cow when I retired.  I did get chickens and am working on getting bees.  I am kind of a hermit and like things that keep me busy at home but got to remembering just how much work milking each morning was and believe I will just do the chickens and bees and forget the cow. 

One thing about being retired, if I feel like crap I just slow down and take more breaks.  I don't believe I could give up coffee, milk or ciggaretts just to feel better.  I could probly go back to cows milk if I found a good place to get it.

I do know that lots of poeple like free range eggs, raw honey and cows milk now days and who am I to say they are right or wrong.  I never really think of health too much but have been lucky enough to have not had to either.  No matter what we do, I personally don't want or expect to live forever but also don't want to die today.  I know it will happen someday and hope it is a surprize and not a long drawn out affair.

I must say that for more then just health reasons, growing your own food, even if not prossessed, is really neat cause you can do it without needing anything from any one.

It is the same reason I will try foundationless frames first.  Cause I can build them myself and the only real thing I haven't been able to make are the staples and nails to put them together with.

I love the advice I get from the forum though.
Cheers
gww

Offline flyboy

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Re: Does Filtering or Straining Honey Remove Pollen From Honey?
« Reply #9 on: December 12, 2015, 09:22:52 pm »
I started having chickens and bees after retirement also. I like to be self-sufficient also. The chickens are almost like friends.

Cream is God's gift to mankind. Mix it with butter (raw fresh is awesome) and honey. If you have coconut cream add it to the mix.
Cheers
Al
First packages - 2 queens and bees May 17 2014 - doing well

Offline gww

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Re: Does Filtering or Straining Honey Remove Pollen From Honey?
« Reply #10 on: December 12, 2015, 10:41:12 pm »
Fly...
One thing, if there is nothing to watch on tv, going out and watching the chickens antics is quite intertaining.
gww

Offline flyboy

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Re: Does Filtering or Straining Honey Remove Pollen From Honey?
« Reply #11 on: December 12, 2015, 10:43:31 pm »
I see them out my window by the computer.
Cheers
Al
First packages - 2 queens and bees May 17 2014 - doing well

Offline dunderi

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Re: Does Filtering or Straining Honey Remove Pollen From Honey?
« Reply #12 on: December 13, 2015, 01:32:28 am »
:) reading this genuinely made me smile :)

after stomach upsets and a whole lot of research,  our family is pretty self sufficient now. 

I'll only be using a basic filtration for our honey,  leaving the pollen mostly in on purpose. 

eating raw honey from a local hive is supposed to be helpful with allergies and hayfever and whatnot isn't it?

We keep Guernsey cows for the raw milk and I make a lot of fresh raw cheeses... We also have chickens,  pigs for pork,  goats,  beef cows and a veg patch. 

It's actually very possible in this day and age to become self sufficient without joining a commune of unwashed hippies thank goodness :)

part of that was the inspiration behind learning about bees! 


Offline GSF

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Re: Does Filtering or Straining Honey Remove Pollen From Honey?
« Reply #13 on: December 13, 2015, 06:45:33 am »
gww,

The unpleasant milk may have been from the cows eating sour grass. The flowers don't look like flowers from a distance but adds a red tint to a field.

Zebu's  are miniature cows that goes about 2-3 hundred pounds. A lot of self sufficient people chose them for several reasons. Easier to handle, less feed, and they provide about all the milk and butter a family will need.

We love our country life as well. Watching the chickens is called Chick TV, then there's goat TV, and bee TV.
When the law no longer protects you from the corrupt, but protects the corrupt from you - then you know your nation is doomed.

Offline HillBilly2

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Re: Does Filtering or Straining Honey Remove Pollen From Honey?
« Reply #14 on: December 13, 2015, 07:24:29 am »
Around here the milk got a garlic flavor early every spring when the wild onions came up. Cows picked them along with the new grass.

Thinking about getting a few goats next year.

Don't filter, just screen enough to keep the chunks & bees out.

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Re: Does Filtering or Straining Honey Remove Pollen From Honey?
« Reply #15 on: December 13, 2015, 07:48:09 am »
My wife often tells the following story:
Back in the sixty's my wife and her siblings didn't want to drink their milk be cause it tasted funny. They were all told there was nothing wrong with it and told to drink every drop.
The next day the milkman knocks on the door and asks to take back any unused milk. The cows had gotten into an onion patch.
Jim
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Offline gww

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Re: Does Filtering or Straining Honey Remove Pollen From Honey?
« Reply #16 on: December 13, 2015, 11:43:41 am »
I thought about getting a milk goat also.  I had a granchild that was alergic to cows milk and for about a year he got goats milk.  He is over the alergies now and drinks cows milk more then he eats food.  I once got a quart of goats milk from my neibor but didn't really like it.  I hear it depends on the breed of goat.  When we were young, we raised bucket calfs for extra money.  Some of the holsteen farmers would almost give away the male calves.  That all changed in the 80s and it seems like calves and feeder pigs are worth there weight in gold.  $70-$100 for weened pigs seems like alot.

My uncle was making fun of me cause he said all my relitives raised beef and pork and that I must be from the poor side of the family cause I have only chickens :smile:.
Cheers
gww

Offline Acebird

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Re: Does Filtering or Straining Honey Remove Pollen From Honey?
« Reply #17 on: December 13, 2015, 09:11:48 pm »
I think that is the defining line ... filtering will take out pollen straining will not.
Brian Cardinal
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Offline Foxhound

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Re: Does Filtering or Straining Honey Remove Pollen From Honey?
« Reply #18 on: December 18, 2015, 09:18:55 pm »
I like how this got hijacked by cows milk.

This is actually the graphic I wanted to share with everyone from our blog.  It is how the 200, 400, 600 micron filters most of use remove 0% of the pollen from honey. I thought it was interesting.

 

http://www.foxhoundbeecompany.com/beekeepingblog/2015/12/1/does-filtering-or-straining-honey-remove-pollen-from-honey

Offline dunderi

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Re: Does Filtering or Straining Honey Remove Pollen From Honey?
« Reply #19 on: December 21, 2015, 06:31:45 pm »
nicely done :)