Why does honey get toxic when heated directly?

Honey does NOT become toxic upon direct heating—or indirect, for that matter. Heating is done to “pasteurized” honey to lessen the risk that harmful bacteria may have been introduced through handling. read more

Heating honey makes it become less viscous, so honey packagers will heat honey so that it will better flow in delivery pipes and through spigots and into the bottles or jars. This commercial heating does nothing at all to make the honey more toxic, but it does alter the honey a bit by driving off delicate aromatics and flavoring agents. read more

The most prominent example of this comes from P. J. Chandler, a pioneer of natural and sustainable beekeeping. He writes that bees fed heated honey perish . This is likely due to the increase in HMF that occurs when honey is heated, as this chemical is toxic to bees. A similar pattern emerges when calves are fed pasteurized rather than raw milk. read more

No, honey does not become toxic when heated. HMF created is from heating any sweetener, including dried fruit, not just honey. If you're using it in a raw application, though, raw is always best. read more