It is during this three-week ripening period that honey develops its concentrated sweetness and its characteristic color. This substance then serves as the calorie-packed food for the mature bees in the hive, although nearly all of the nectar's vitamins and proteins have been lost in production. It is intense sweetness that is honey's value to humans, not its fabled nutritional or medicinal qualities. The honey is heated to destroy any fermenting yeasts and is then strained to remove any remaining pollen or wax. It then must be packaged and tightly sealed because honey readily absorbs water, and an increased water content makes it more hospitable to microbes.
Honey is sold in combs and in jars.
Chunk comb honey is a luxury that can be eaten wax and all. Outside of the United States and Australia, honey is typically sold in a less-processed, thick, pregranulated form, like our sunflower and Millefiori honeys. Honey keeps longer in this form. As a liquid, honey always runs the risk of crystallizing. This is because the glucose content of honey is very near the saturation point and it therefore precipitates easily, forming crystals in the honey.