Why Honey Never Expires, According To Science
NEWS
By MATTHEW LEE
Honey is made almost entirely of sugar with very little water and is quite acidic. This creates an environment where bacteria — the culprits behind food spoilage — rarely survive.
Bees go from flower to flower to gather up nectar. As it sits in their stomach, the nectar is "washed" with enzymes to break it down from complex sugars into simpler sugars.
Older bees pass the processed honey to young ones, who treat it with more enzymes such as glucose oxidase, which breaks down nectar into gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide.
The bees keep processing the nectar until it reaches just the right consistency, with less than 20% water content. To dry the honey, bees will flap their wings like mini fans.
When they start their process, the nectar is about 80% water, but by the time they're fully done, honey contains just 15% to 18%. The honey is then ready for indefinite storage.
