Honey is a natural sweetener, but unlike most high-sugar foods, it almost never spoils. Behind this miraculous characteristic lies the little-known extraordinary skill and natural wisdom of the bees, surpassing human capabilities.
Even with sealed packaging, most foods find it difficult to avoid spoilage over time, as air, moisture, and microorganisms can intervene at any moment. Bacteria and mold thrive in moist, warm, oxygen-rich environments, which is why dehydration, heating, pickling, and sealing are the main methods humans use for preservation. However, most of these methods still cannot fully achieve the goal of complete preservation.
Honey, on the other hand, stands out as an exception. It is originally nectar collected by bees from flowers – warm, high in moisture content, and rich in sugar, which should be an ideal breeding ground for bacteria. So why can honey last virtually forever without spoiling?
According to a report by BBC, the key lies in how bees handle honey. They gradually dehydrate it on their way back to the hive, secreting enzymes to acidify the nectar, inhibit microbial growth, and break down complex sugars into simple sugars. Once inside the hive, bees continuously fan their wings to accelerate evaporation of moisture.
After this series of processes, the moisture content of honey can decrease from 70%-80% to 15%-18%, with an extremely high sugar concentration, far exceeding the limit that can naturally dissolve in water for humans. Combined with the acidity and oxygen-free environment after being stored sealed, there are hardly any microorganisms that can survive within it.
This phenomenon is known in food science as “Low Water Activity,” one of the common preservation strategies used in processed foods. As long as the water is stably combined with salt or sugar, unable to move freely, microorganisms find it challenging to reproduce.
However, honey is not foolproof. If the jar is frequently exposed to air after opening or if unclean utensils are used to scoop it out, moisture and bacteria may still be introduced, leading to spoilage.
Nevertheless, when stored under appropriate conditions, honey indeed can remain as good as new for many years. When water and specific yeast are added, it can even be brewed into mead – turning that “spoilage” into another flavorful indulgence.