Why does honey never spoil

Honey also contains small amounts of hydrogen peroxide, which inhibits growth of microbes. This is partly why bees produce it for the young in their hives — it is both food and protection. Processing honey also helps as the sugars in honey are hygroscopic and tend to draw in atmospheric water, which is not ideal. However, during processing and packaging, the heat treatment first removes water and then airtight lids keeps the water out, helping it keep for longer.

Although honey can go cloudy and crystallise when opened as the sugars draw in water again, this physical change can be reversed by simply warming the honey. As with honey, the key to a long shelf-life is processing and storage. Also, any enzymes that would naturally break down the product after harvest are put into suspended animation. If the container is airtight, they will last for years and still be a great source of protein.

If you allow water in, however, then they will only last a few months. Soy sauce has the potential to last at least three years. The combination of its salt content and being fermented means that, if it is unopened, it should have a very long shelf life. There are a few other examples of foods that keep—indefinitely—in their raw state: salt, sugar, dried rice are a few. Which raises the question—what exactly makes honey such a special food?

The first comes from the chemical make-up of honey itself. Honey is, first and foremost, a sugar. Sugars are hygroscopic, a term that means they contain very little water in their natural state but can readily suck in moisture if left unsealed. Very few bacteria or microorganisms can survive in an environment like that, they just die. Pin FB More.

Eating healthy should still be delicious. Sign up for our daily newsletter for more great articles and tasty, healthy recipes. All rights reserved. And be careful to use clean, dry utensils when scooping from the jar; moisture contamination will ruin honey. Honey's low moisture content keeps bacteria from surviving. And without bacteria at work, honey just doesn't spoil. Plus, honey is acidic enough to ward off most of the bacteria and organisms that spoil other food.

What's more, the bees add their own enzymes to honey, and these enzymes produce hydrogen peroxide. Yes, that's the same antiseptic we use to treat wounds. Honey can stay edible for years, even decades, but honey is a natural product, which means it will change over time.