Nearly all kinds of liquid honey will crystallize in time. The rate of crystallization is related to honey composition, storage conditions, and the amount of heating and filtering. Some honeys granulate uniformly throughout, while others will leave a liquid portion at the top. The faster honey granulates, the smaller the crystals will be.
Slow granulation produces large, coarse crystals.
Such solutions are more or less unstable and in time will return to the stable saturated condition with the excess material coming out of solution. During granulation, dextrose separates from the liquid phase as crystals, while the other sugars remain in solution. As crystallization proceeds, the moisture content of the liquid phase increases, producing a favorable medium for fermentation. The ratio of dextrose to levulose reflects that of the floral sources worked by the bees. Crystallization is delayed by heating and filtering.