FAQs

Honey is a sweet, viscous liquid produced in sacs honeybees are endowed with. The tasty and nourishing food is harvested from hives the bees deposit it in. It comes in a variety of flavours and colours depending on flowers the bees collect nectar from to make the wonder food.

Bees make honey with nectar they collect from flowers. They store it in their honey stomach, which is different from their food stomach. When they have a full load, they fly back home – a beehive. Bees work together to make honey from the nectar stored in honeycomb cells – tiny jars made of wax. They then seal the cell with a wax lid to keep it clean. It takes at least eight honeybees all their life to make one teaspoonful of the nutritious food. Fortunately for us, they usually make more than they need.

At 0.1-0.4 per cent, the pollen content in honey is minuscule and does not impact its nutrient value, according to the National Honey Board. Raw honey may contain slightly more pollen than processed honey.

No. We only produce raw honey with all the good stuff still inside. Both our creamed and raw honeys are unpasteurized and unblended. Just as nature created.

Raw honey is the purest form of nature’s sweet gift to mankind, for it is not pasteurised, filtered or processed. As such, it retains all the pollen, vitamins, enzymes and nutrients in the natural form. On extraction, honey comes in liquid state and goes on to crystallise into solid honey.

Please note: While raw honey has amazing health benefits, we do not recommend raw honey for infants younger than 1-year-old due to a bacteria called Clostridium botulinum that can cause infant botulism and is sometimes found in honey, both raw and pasteurized. Once a child is 1 year old, their digestive system has matured enough to kill the bacteria.

You can store it at room temperature. Some people put it in their freezer, and it turns nice and creamy when thawed. Make sure that the lids are tightly sealed, as honey likes to absorb odors and moisture. Also, be sure to avoid leaving it in overly hot locations.

Honey lasts forever if you store it properly.

Yes! You can eat it as is or you can re-liquefy the honey by putting the jar into a pot of warm (not boiling) water for a while.

Filtering ensures that honey remains fluid for a longer time.

Raw honey retains most of its nutrients and antioxidants as it is only strained before being bottled. Filtered honey is put through a variety of processes that are likely to take away from it some nutrients besides reducing its antioxidant levels.

Honey gets its flavour and colour from the sourced nectar – flowers the bees picked it up from.

Most of the honey you find on shelves of your local grocery store is typically pasteurised (heated at very high temperatures) or has undergone ultrafiltration that rids it of most properties rendering it an avoidable sugary syrup. It is also a blend of honeys from different places. While Oriral honey is ethically taken out of the hive, strained to remove hive debris and packaged. It is pure, unblended, unheated, unprocessed honey. Like other raw honeys, it solidifies over time.

Honey procured by Oriral is tested against Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) standards.

Honey has several antioxidant and antibacterial properties. Science has shown honey's effectiveness in treatment of ulcers, bedsores, burns, skin sores and inflammation to mention a few. It helps in boosting one’s immunity and fastens postpartum recovery. It also acts as a cough suppressant and improves sleep.

One teaspoon of honey contains 21 calories.

Honey is best consumed with a warm beverage or water.

While honey is safe for most adults, children below one year could contract a rare form of botulism from honey spores. Clostridium bacteria cause botulism. They thrive in soil and dust, and could contaminate foods, especially honey. Hence, it is better to avoid feeding infants honey.

Honey contains a higher fructose level and is relatively low on the glycemic index, making it one of the best sugar substitutes. A study has found that replacing sugar with honey helps lower blood sugar levels and prevents weight gain.

Honey is sweeter than sugar. For every 1 cup of sugar, substitute 1/2 to 2/3 cup of honey.

Honey should not be heated rapidly over direct heat. Excessive heat can have detrimental effects on the nutritional value of honey. Adding honey to boiling water will destroy its nutrients, enzymes and vitamins. Instead, it may be added to lukewarm water.

It lasts forever as long as it is stored properly.

Keep honey in a cool place, away from direct sunlight and in a tightly-sealed container. Do not expose it to air. It is ideal to use a glass jar as metal containers could oxidise it.

Unlike most foods, it doesn’t spoil over time. This is because of its low water content and acidity. Over time, honey tends to crystallise and solidify. It is still perfectly fine to eat. To revert it to its liquid form, immerse the honey jar in warm water and leave it there for a few minutes.

It is quite normal for honey to crystallise as it contains more sugars than can be dissolved. Crystallised honey becomes whiter and lighter. If honey gets crystallised, it can be brought back to the liquid form by warming it gently. Overheating honey may lead to the degradation of its colour and flavour.

Quality comes at a cost. An in-house Oriral team ensures that you get the best honey.