Leonard Riepenhoff
Does honey contain enough acid to remove zinc from galvanized sheet metal which could be unhealthy?
The internet says don’t store honey in galvanized containers.
No problem since we generally store honey in glass or plastic.
But is it unhealthy to use a honey extractor or a solar oven made with galvanized sheet metal?
Do this test, then you decide.
The acidity on a PH scale measures from 1 to 14, with 7 being neutral and 1 being the most acidic.
Honey ranges from a PH 3.4 to 6.1. Lemon juice has a PH of 2 to 3.
Honey and lemon juice left separated on a piece of galvanized sheet metal overnight, then rinsed clean with water left the following results:
Where the lemon juice was shows some obvious discoloring (deterioration?), where the honey was there was no noticeable visual change.
When using a galvanized honey extractor or a solar oven, the honey is in contact with the galvanized metal for only a short time before it runs into a container that isn’t metal, then short-term exposure of honey on galvanized sheet metal honey extractors or solar ovens would be even less.
Just don’t store it in a galvanized container.
You can purchase zinc tablets at a health food store, if you require zinc, don’t rely on your bee equipment.
I Have used a galvanized honey extractor for years, and a full frame solar oven extractor made with galvanized sheet metal (which is available on “Craigs List”). My honey has won best of show three years in a row at our Sonoma County fair in California.
