How Can I Tell % Sucrose from Brix

[Saeed]

Hi;

I am thinking of buying a Brix Refractometer. I knew that it gives sucrose in about 80%+- range.

My question is:

How can I convert this value to the actual sucrose % in honey. For example, If I get 83% brix then what is the sucrose content. Usually sucrose should be at very low values such as 5% or so.

Please advise


regards

[Michael Palmer]

I don't think it is possible. The Brix scale only gives you % solids.

[HVH]

Hi;

I am thinking of buying a Brix Refractometer. I knew that it gives sucrose in about 80%+- range.

My question is:

How can I convert this value to the actual sucrose % in honey. For example, If I get 83% brix then what is the sucrose content. Usually sucrose should be at very low values such as 5% or so.

Please advise


regards

You would probably have to figure total solids and subtract out the contribution of reducing sugars with Benedict's reagent. This would give a rough estimate and perhaps too rough to be of use.
Why are you interested in % sucrose?

[Saeed]

Thanks all for the replies.

The reasons I want to know % sucrose is that I am intending to buy about 150kg of honey and I am looking for a quick way to find out if the bees were feeded sugar or not. I sent a sample from a beekeeper to a laboratory and they told that the sample contains 25.7% sucrose which is extremely high and tells that the bees were feeded sugar in addition to the normal harvest.

regards

[Roland]

If I was a betting man. which I typically am not, I would say you have adulterated honey, if it has 25.7 percent sucrose. You can look up the Codes(sp?) Alimentariuous(sp?) for suggested sucrose levels.

It is my belief, since most nectar is a sucrose solution, that if you fed bees sucrose, they would turn it into glucose and fructose, like they do to make honey. There would be little sucrose in what they store. The only way to get that much sucrose is to add it after it was removed from the hive.

Funny Honey is cheap. Look elsewhere for real honey, and expect to pay real money.

Roland

[DutchBee]

Sounds like it was cut after extracting.

Find a better source.