Filtration Systems

Filtration systems are the sieves, strainers, straining bags and settling tanks used to physically separate bee products from foreign matter such as wax, larvae, bee parts and dust. For honey, coarse and medium strainers are enough; filtration fine enough to remove pollen erases the honey's origin and puts it in a separate product category under the law. For royal jelly, on the other hand, fine straining is an essential step to ensure the product contains no larval or wax fragments.

Why are bee products filtered?

The aim of filtration is not to change the product but to remove what does not belong in it. Honey flowing from the extractor carries wax and cappings crumbs; royal jelly collected from cups may contain larval and wax fragments; when making propolis tincture, insoluble wax and wood remains are left behind.

• Appearance and confidence: Wax crumbs floating in the jar put buyers off.
• Shelf life: Foreign particles can speed up crystallisation and cause foam and sediment.
• Legal compliance: In Türkiye, the Turkish Food Codex defines royal jelly as a product "free of larvae"; for honey, it requires the pollen to be preserved.

How should honey be strained, and with which strainer?

The rule for straining honey is simple: remove the large particles, leave the pollen. In Türkiye, the Turkish Food Codex Communiqué on Honey does not allow filtration through pores smaller than 0.2 mm for any honey other than "filtered honey". According to the Communiqué, honey whose pollen content has been reduced in this way must be sold as "filtered honey", stating this. Honey to be called "raw honey" must have been strained through filters with pores larger than 0.3 mm.

Straining bags and flexible sieves

Cone-shaped straining bags stretched over the mouth of a bucket or hung from a frame are very common in hobby beekeeping. The honey drains through under its own weight and the wax stays in the bag. When the bag fills and clogs, it is changed; squeezing a clogged bag pushes the wax into the bucket too.

Straining tanks

On a commercial scale, honey flows from the extractor by pump or directly into a settling tank with strainers. The tank contains one or more tiers of sieves; the strained honey settles in the tank, foam rises to the surface and clean honey is drawn off from the gate at the bottom.

Wrong filtration practices for honey

Some methods recommended in older sources and sales copy for "purifying" honey actually change its nature:

• Filtering with activated carbon: Removes colour, aroma and some components. This process, which strips out components belonging to the honey, is not suitable for honey.
• Mixing with hot water and straining: Adding water to honey raises its moisture, leads to fermentation and is adulteration. Nothing may be added to honey.
• Straining at high temperature: Heating honey to speed up straining raises HMF and destroys enzymes. If heating is needed, the honey temperature should not exceed about 40 °C.
• "Clarifying" with very fine filters: This strips out the pollen; botanical and geographical origin can then no longer be proven.

How is royal jelly strained?

At a royal jelly harvest, the larva in the cup is first removed with tweezers, then the royal jelly is collected with a spatula or vacuum suction device. During collection, larval fragments, wax crumbs and particles broken off the rim of the cup can get into the product.

1. Work clean and cool: Straining should be done in the shade or in a clean room, before the product warms up.
2. Use a fine nylon or stainless steel strainer: Royal jelly is thick; it is pushed gently through the strainer with a spatula.
3. Limit contact with metal: Royal jelly is acidic; use only stainless steel or food-grade plastic equipment.
4. Pack and cool immediately: The strained royal jelly is put into light-proof, airtight containers and placed in the refrigerator or freezer without delay.

How are pollen and propolis cleaned?

• Pollen: Pollen from the trap is cleaned of bee parts, dust and debris with sieves and by winnowing. This is a kind of dry filtration; fine dust passes through the sieve while the pellets stay on top.
• Propolis tincture: After raw propolis has steeped in the solvent, the insoluble wax and wood fragments are filtered out with filter paper or fine cloth. Under the Turkish Food Codex, raw propolis cannot be sold directly to the final consumer in Türkiye; propolis on its own may only be marketed as a food supplement.

What should you look for when choosing a filtration system?

• Material: Food-grade stainless steel or food-safe nylon and plastic.
• Mesh size: Coarse and medium sieves for honey; do not go below the 0.2 mm limit in the regulation.
• Capacity: It must keep up with the extractor's flow rate; a strainer that cannot keep up overflows.
• Easy cleaning: Removable, corner-free, tear-resistant sieves.
• Spares: A second set so you can change a clogged strainer without waiting.

Strainer care and hygiene

1. Separate the wax: Collect the wax left in the strainer and set it aside for melting.
2. Wash in lukewarm water: Honey dissolves in water; wax softens in hot water. Very hot water can damage plastic and nylon strainers.
3. Dry: A damp strainer goes mouldy; put it away only once completely dry.
4. Replace: A strainer that is torn, deformed or smells is not used.