Honey

Honey

Honey flowing off a honeycomb

Honey is a sweet, sticky fluid produced by bees and other insects from nectar collected from flowers.  It is used for human food consumption as a sweetener and in some alcoholic products such as mead. 

The typical pH of honey is 3.9, which helps to inhibit microbial growth. The melting point of crystallized honey ranges between 40° and 50°C (104° to 122°F). Specific gravity is around 1.4, and viscosity ranges from about 1,300 cPs at 40°C (104°F) to 14,000 cPs at 20°C (68°F). 

Positive displacement pumps are ideal for pumping honey due to their ability to handle viscous fluids with precision and care. Unlike centrifugal pumps, which rely on high-speed impellers that can disrupt and degrade viscous fluids, positive displacement pumps use gears, lobed rotors or circumferential pistons to move liquid at a consistent, controlled rate. This ensures that the honey's natural properties, texture, and quality are preserved without aeration or shearing. These pumps provide a constant flow rate regardless of the viscosity changes in the honey, and flow rate is directly proportional to pump speed, allowing for accurate dosing and efficient processing in commercial applications. Their hygienic design allows them to be cleaned in place or strip cleaned as needed, making them the preferred choice for maintaining the integrity of honey during processing.  

Viking in the Process 

For raw (unprocessed) honey, Viking pumps are used to transfer honey from the extractor to a strainer to filter out any beeswax or bee parts, and then to packaging.  

For commercial honey, Viking pumps are used to transfer raw honey from tank trucks to storage, then through a heat exchanger or heated tank where it is warmed to reduce viscosity, and then through strainers to remove large particles, then through fine filtration, often microfiltration, to remove pollen grains. Then Viking pumps move filtered honey through a pasteurizer to kill yeast cells and dissolve sugar crystals, and finally through a heat exchanger for cooling and on to packaging or bulk transport. 

Viking pumps are also used in downstream food processing plants to meter honey into the production process. 

 

 

    Applications 

    • Honey Transport, Processing and Packaging 
    • Honey Metering in Food Processing Plants 
    • Viking in the Process 

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