Last Updated on June 13, 2023 by Georgie Smith
Beekeeping is a science all on its own. By the time you add the tools, protective garments, and gadgets that go in one single jar of honey, it is not only science it is a miracle. Honey refractometers are the tool that honey packers and beekeepers use to measure the amount of moisture content there is in the honey.
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Unless you associate with a beekeeper or in the business itself, you more than likely have no clue what all it takes to make honey. It’s more than a standard eight hour work day for sure. From a hive to your table, a Refractometer provides a sweet answer measuring the solid content and honey moisture.
Honey Refractometer Puts Laboratory Accuracy in the Palm of Your Hand
The amount of refractometer honey moisture is critical to the grade and complete quality. If the content of moisture is too high, there is the risk of fermentation. If it is too low, it may granulate or crystallize. The battle of the two in honey production is a slight harmonizing act that often hinges on a mere percent.
To get an accurate, precise measurement of moisture, you use a refractometer which is a stand-in as the best possible weapon in this battle. To get an actual measurement, you would place one or two drops of honey in the sample well of the refractometer.
Next, you shut the cover to prevent any absorption of moisture, and you should have an accurate number of the moisture content.
What is the Brix of honey?
Brix is the amount of total liquefied solids in the “sap” of a Plant food. Higher Brix typically links with higher nutrient thickness and higher resistance to insects and disease for plants.
The higher the Brix of food, the tastier and nutritious it is for humans and animals.
Moreover, it does not exist without controversy. When the usage of Brix details reveals some individual, who claims their product is organic. One could argue that even though the biodynamic food producers claim is safer; there is often not enough nutrition to back the theory.
However, brix of pure honey is essential. Not only does it give us a degree of original nutrient thickness, yet it is a quantity that everyday ordinary non-farming people can utilize to test the worth of their food at a point of sale or the farm. The allegations of such are in theory quite dramatic.
Qualified density scale utilized in the winemaking and sugar industry. It specifies the percent of cane sugar sucrose by weight (grams per 100 milliliters of water) in a mixture of juice of unfermented grapes in degrees Brix (°Bx).
The most customarily used refractometer scale for calculating solids melted in water, it matches right to the refractive index scale. One °Bx equates to one percent and, in winemaking, the liquid potency of the complete wine is evaluated to be 0.55 times the °Bx of the grape juice.
What is The Percentage of Water in Honey?
The water substance of honey is the value characteristic that regulates the capability of honey to stay fresh and to evade decomposition by yeast fermentation. Raw honey can have a water-in-honey content of less than 14 percent and the lesser the water content; the higher the supposed worth of the honey.
It has an international acknowledgment that good valued honey should process at less than 20 percent water substance. Low water substance is pleasing because honey may start to ferment and suffer the loss of its fresh value if the water-in-honey is more than 20 percent. Unpasteurized honey incites because it has wild yeast in the mixture.
However, due to honey’s significant sugar intensity, these yeasts are not as much likely to cause fermentation in honey with little water content. The honey’s little water substance causes the yeast to go in its undeveloped stage stopping the fermentation procedure.
In honey with high water substance, the yeast is more likely to instigate fermentation during storing developing in higher acidity immediately affecting the honey’s value.
How to Measure the Honey Quality?
Water-in-Honey Refractometers are merely high-scope sugar refractometers that have a ‘reversed scale;’ that is instead of detailing the sugar velocity in water, the scale reveals ‘water in sugar.’ Moreover, the water-in-honey refractometer does not display the actual water content; it is a straightforward and reproducible way that has been successful up to now in measuring honey value.
The quality and the water amounts often vary from one hive to the other even from cell to cell. Furthermore, honey that gets stored away for an extended period will contain a mixture of a slope on the bottom surface.
What this means is before testing the water-in-honey refractometer guarantees the honey is thoroughly mixed. Due to possible human error or the honey sample varies, the advice would be that multiple water-in-honey refractometer results in you should observe to guarantee the results are correct.
Because of a slight human error or two different honey sample differences, the recommendation is for numerous water-in-honey refractometer readings to be taken to ensure that a correct interpretation takes place.
How Do I read a refractometer?
A refractometer is an easy-to-use instrument for accurately measuring concentrations of aqueous liquids. The tool only requires a small amount of liquid solution as its purpose is popular in agricultural, food, manufacturing, and chemical industries.
When light and a liquid mix it changes its direction; this is a term called refraction. The Refractometer calculates the degree that the light will change its course. This formation is the angle of refraction. The Refractometer uses the refraction angles and compares it to refractive index assessments that have been determined.
Using these assessments, if it’s possible for you to determine the concentration of all solutions. The prism that is inside the refractometer has a higher refractor index than the solution involved. The measurements are determined when the prism and the solution meet.
Measurement determinations can appear at the location where the solution and prism meet. When having a low-concentration mixture the refractive index of the prism is considerably bigger than that of the sample, generating a large refraction angle and a low reading. The reverse would happen with a high-concentration solution.
The % Brix Scale reveals the percentage of the concentration of the resolvable solid substance of the sample. (water solution). The resolvable solids are the total of the dissolved solids in the water, starting with salts, sugar, acids, and protein.
The reading value of the measurement is the sum total of those. The Brix scale calibration is to the number of grams of cane sugar containing 100 g of water. When calculating a sugar mix, the % Brix reading should if at all possible match the absolute concentration.
Top 5 Best Honey Refractometers on the Market
| Picture | Product Name | Features |
|---|---|---|
 | Honey Refractometer for Honey Moisture by Aqueous Lab | – 58%-90% for Brix – Honey moisture: 10%-33 % – Temperature Compensation |
| GoerTek Hand-held High Measuring Range Honey Tester with ATC | – Brix scale: 0-90% – ATC: (10℃~30℃ – 1 Year Warranty | |
 | Optics Honey Sugar Moisture Brix Baume Refractometer ATC | – Tri-scale: 58%-90% Brix – Accuracy: ±0.5% Brix – Temperature compensation |
 | Hamh Optics & Tools: Beekeeper Refractometer | – Brix: 58%-90% – Easy to use – 2 years warranty |
 | Ade Advanced Optics Brix Refractometer | – Brix scale: 58%-90% – Scale Range: 10%-33% – ATC: 10°C to 30°C |
Honey Refractometer for Honey Moisture, Refractometer 58-90 % Scale Range Honey Tester, by Aqueous Lab:
The Refractometer from the Aqueous Lab design is for testing honey nutrients for honey moisture, glucous Baume, and glucous Brix.
- There are three scales: Glucose Brix 58%-90%, Glucose Baume, 38-43 Be and Honey moisture 10%-33%
- It is Ideal for educational, Agricultural, Food industry, and Beekeeping.
- You get fast results for the automatic temperature.
- The automatic temperature benefit makes it even easier to get quick results.
- Easy to carry and use and durable. An essential primary part designed with chromium makes it light and efficient.
Product Features
This visual honey meter has three scales: 10% – 33 % for the quantity of honey moisture, 58%-90% for Brix, and 38% – 43%. BE for Glucose Baume. It is appropriate not just for beekeepers but for anyone that needs to check bee honey worth (e.g., in the food industry).
Measurement
The liquid amount is straightforward. Add a few small drops of your liquid on the optical piece of the refractometer. Next, cover the prism (the liquid will spread more easily over the lens), look through the eyepiece turning against the light (try to focus, if necessary), and you see the result value on the scale.
Content and Equipment
- A Refractor
- Firm Plastic Case
- A suction Tube
- A Cleaning Cloth
- A screw Driver
- Operating Instructions
Warranty
Complete 12 Month Replacement Warranty and all Questions results happen within 24 Hours.
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Portable Salinity Refractometer 0-28% Brix Refractometer
Professional Refractometer, Hand-held High Measuring Range Honey Tester with ATC for Strong Sugar Water Content Measurement, Replaces Homebrew Hydrometer Brix scale range 0 ~ 90%.
This tester is a hand-held honey tester with ATC for a High Measuring Range for Sturdy Sugar Water substance measuring. This model is a replacement for the Homebrew range 0-90% Hydrometer Brix scale.
Features:
- A portable Salinity Refractometer measures the thickness of sugars in a solution. This product is perfect for Agricultural, Educational, and Gardening purposes.
- Calibration is “0” as a default level. If not then, use the Calibration Screw to make accurate measurements for a higher reading.
- 0-32% (0-90%)Brix Scale. Accurate to +/- 0.20% Brix — Further Accurate and Quicker Than the Homebrew Hydrometer.
- Advanced Automatic Temperature Compensation (ATC) Technology (10℃~30℃) –
Automatically adjust to balance for temperatures, providing more accurate results. It is easy to carry and use with a durable case. It is lightweight and has a one-year warranty.
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Optics Honey Sugar Moisture Brix Baume Refractometer ATC, Tri-scale 58-90% Brix, 38-43 Be'(Baume) 12-27% Water, Beekeeping, Maple, w/ EXTRA Dioptric Oil (For calibration), Reference:
Comes with automatic temperature controls with a portable USB LED light. It Is lightweight and sturdy with the finest available rubber and aluminum.
- Measuring Range: 58%-90%Brix; 38-43 Be’ (Baume); 12%-27% Water amount.
- Division is 0.5% Brix ;0.25Be'(Baume) ;0.5% Water amount
- Accuracy: ±0.5% Brix ; ±0.25Be’ (Baume) ; ±0.5% Water amount
This Honey Moisture Baume and Brix Refractometer are mainly for honey. The gadget is capable of testing the sugar quantity and the water and Baume along the water potency. It can measure high sugar-related liquids such as high sugar content, such as syrup, jelly, jam, and honey and other beverages and food.
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Beekeeper Refractometer Honey 12-27% Water Honey Moisture 58-90% Brix Sugar Baume For Beekeeping, Honey, Condensed Milk, Sugar Syrup, Fruit jam and Molasses, Portable Refractometer, Hamh Optics & Tools:
This Refractometer is a beekeeper’s friend.
Product Description:
This Refractometer is an accurate optical instrument that regulates the thickness of a liquid using the guide of refraction. It is especially suitable for measuring the sugar content in syrup, honey, and jellies. The tool is simple and precise. You only add a few drops of the liquid on the prism, and you should instantly read the density.
The measuring range is 58%-90%, 38-43 Baumel, and 12%-27& water. Easy to use by just adding a few drops of the liquid on the prism. You then close the plate and see the Brix value through the viewing window.
Once you have applied the liquid sample on the prism, the optics generate opposing dark-light fields. The margin between the two fields specifies the sugar substance of the sample.
Calibration: If you don’t have any specialized calibration equipment, do not adjust yourself. Do not regulate this refractometer with water.
Accessories:
- Screwdriver
- Storage Box
- Pipette
- Cleaning Cloth
- Two-year warranty
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Ade Advanced Optics Brix Refractometer – High Measuring Range Honey tester 58%-90%. Beekeeping, bees Tri-Scales:
This high-measuring honey tester 58%-90% is a hand-held refractometer that is particularly necessary when the time comes to test high sugar-containing products such as honey.
This meter utilizes ambient light, so no battery or power source is required. Natural raw honey fluctuates from 14% to 18% moisture substance. But that’s not where it ends. Honey is hygroscopic; which means it has excellent water-absorbing assets.
Package Includes
- Pipette for placing test fluids on the prism
- Mini screwdriver for scale calibration
- A Users Guide
The Ade Advanced refractometer has a sleek design made of aircraft aluminum and provides you with the opportunity to assess your readings precisely and efficiently.
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Conclusion
As you see, there is more to the honey you buy on the shelves than just collecting from the hive. The Refractometer is a vital tool to have in your toolkit for beekeeping. If you want to be a successful beekeeper, it is critical that you do all you can to market the most excellent honey possible.
I hope after reading this, you have a better understanding of how the honey goes from the hive to the jar and onto your plate. If you are still unsure as to which tool to buy, read the top ones we have listed in this article. And, as always, Happy Beekeeping
FQS About the Best Honey Refractometer
Q: When should I consider ordering my equipment to get prepared for my bees?
A: You should order what you need a few weeks in advance to get all you need. That will give you plenty of time to get prepared.
Q: How will I know when the refractometer is in calibration?
A: Most refractometers come with a scale division that is equal to water. A Brix refractometer, it is 0.0 Brix, and on the Glycol & Battery Tester, it is +32°F (0°C).
Q: Why is my Palm Digital tool read “Sample Out Of Range?”
A: You have received that message” Sample Out / Of Range” error message on the Refractometer if the refractive index value for the liquid you are analyzing is more than the maximum refractive index value for the scale that you are currently on.
