FaktowoHoney from pharaohs' tombs is still edible
Honey is the only food that practically never spoils. The reasons: almost no water, an acidic environment and a little hydrogen peroxide.
Archaeologists working in Egyptian tombs have repeatedly found jars of honey that are several thousand years old. The contents had crystallised, but had not gone bad. Once warmed, they were fit to eat.
In ancient Egypt, honey was a valuable gift for the dead, as well as a medicine and a preservative. Knowledge of its durability is therefore as old as the pyramids themselves.
Three reasons why honey does not spoil
First: water. Honey is about 80 per cent sugars and contains only a little over ten per cent water. In such an environment, bacteria and fungi simply dry out – the sugar "draws" the water out of them.
Second: acidity. Honey has a pH between 3.2 and 4.5, which is roughly the same as orange juice. Most microorganisms cannot tolerate such conditions.
Third: enzymes. Bees add the enzyme glucose oxidase to nectar, which slowly produces hydrogen peroxide in the honey – the same compound we know from household peroxide solution.
One condition
Honey stays stable only in a tightly sealed container. It is hygroscopic, meaning it readily absorbs moisture from the air. An open jar in a damp kitchen may eventually start to ferment.
- Crane E., “The World History of Beekeeping and Honey Hunting”, Routledge, 1999
- Molan P. C., “The antibacterial activity of honey. 1. The nature of the antibacterial activity”, Bee World, 1992
- Mandal M. D., Mandal S., “Honey: its medicinal property and antibacterial activity”, Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine, 2011
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