Why does honey never spoil?
Archaeologists found 3,000-year-old honey that was still edible.
The answer
Honey's near-immortal shelf life comes from a perfect storm of preservation factors. Its extremely low moisture content (about 17%) and high sugar concentration create an environment where bacteria cannot survive through osmotic stress. Honey is also naturally acidic with a pH around 3.9, and bees add the enzyme glucose oxidase, which produces small amounts of hydrogen peroxide as a further antimicrobial agent.
Source: Smithsonian Magazine
- chemistry
- food science
- biology
- preservation
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