What Is the Real Difference Between Raw Honey and Regular Honey?

"Raw" is one of the most overused words in the honey aisle, so here is what it actually, technically means.

What Heat Actually Destroys

Raw honey is never heated above the natural temperature inside a beehive, roughly 35-37°C (95°F). Heating honey above about 40°C begins to degrade two natural enzymes, diastase and invertase, that raw honey retains. Commercial processing, which often uses higher heat for faster bottling and to prevent crystallisation, destroys most of this enzyme activity.

A Real, Measurable Quality Marker

Diastase Number (DN) is an actual lab-measurable indicator of honey quality: fresh raw honey typically tests at DN 15-30 or higher, while the international Codex Alimentarius food standard sets a minimum of just DN 8. A comparative study of commercial versus raw local honeys found imported/commercial honey had elevated HMF (5-hydroxymethylfurfural, a marker that rises with heat damage) and reduced diastase activity compared with raw honey.

Source: PMC comparative honey study

What Does Not Change

Calorie and sugar content are essentially the same between raw and processed honey — heating affects enzymes and some heat-sensitive compounds, not the fundamental sugar profile. Raw honey is not a low-sugar food.

Bottom Line

If enzyme activity, pollen content, and minimal processing matter to you, raw honey is a genuinely different product from heat-treated commercial honey — not just a marketing label.