What do you think of this fact?
Archaeologists excavating ancient Egyptian tombs kept finding clay pots filled with honey. The absurd part: the honey was reportedly still edible after around 3,000 years. Almost any other food would have turned to dust long ago, or into something you wouldn’t want to touch.
The trick: bacteria die of thirst
Honey is about 80 percent sugar and only around 17 percent water. That sounds harmless, but for microbes it’s a death zone. Sugar pulls in water. When a bacterium lands in honey, the water gets sucked right out of its cells. It dries out before it can multiply.
That low water content is the bees’ own work. Fresh nectar is pretty runny. Back in the hive, bees fan their wings over it until much of the water has evaporated. Only then do they seal the comb with wax.
Plan B: acid and a built-in disinfectant
That’s not all. Honey is pretty acidic, with a pH typically around 3.5 to 4.5, similar to orange juice. And bees add an enzyme called glucose oxidase. When a little moisture gets in, it produces hydrogen peroxide, the same stuff found in some disinfectants.
Sugar, acid and hydrogen peroxide: bees basically invented a triple-locked preservation system.
The catch
Honey only lasts forever if it’s sealed. Left open, it pulls water from the air and can eventually ferment. And if it crystallizes, that’s not spoilage: a warm water bath and it’s runny again.
So the honey in your kitchen cupboard will probably outlive you.