Why doesn't honey go bad?
For something to spoil there
has to be something to spoil it. Honey is almost unique among organic compounds
in that it constitutes a "perfect storm" of attributes against
spoilage:
Most honey is a supersaturated,
the rest is a saturated solution of sugar. Sugar acts hygroscopic, that means
it attracts water. Bacteria and some other microorganisms that come in contact
with this solution are being desiccated (water is drawn from them into the
solution) and explode (ok, ok, they kind of just shrivel, but I like the idea
of them blowing up) and die.
This supersaturation of sugar
also inhibits the growth of yeast and other fungal spores.
Its pH is 3.26 to 4.48, a
killing field for bacteria. Combined with the above-mentioned supersaturation
you have both a pH that weakens bacterial walls and a hygroscopic environment.
Them bacters don't stand no chance.
And if all that isn't enough,
bees process honey by means of an enzyme called glucose oxidase which modifies
sugar into gluconic acid ( D-glucono-δ-lactone, a contributor to the
above-mentioned pH) and hydrogen peroxide. You might know glucose oxidase from
something else: it used to be called "Penicillin A" and is now known
as Notatin. Poor bacteria, eh?
This is, by the way, why you
should never leave a jar of honey standing open. The supersaturated sugar
solution will absorb moisture from the air and gradually become weaker, losing
its anti-bacterial properties.
One last warning: honey is, as
we discover above, rather safe. It does, however, sometimes contain inactive
spores of Clostridium botulinum, the bacterium responsible for botulism.
Healthy humans don't get sick from that but infants whose intestinal tract
dilutes the honey without digesting it quickly can get sick from it. There is
honey that has been radiated with gamma rays to kill those spores dead for good
that can be purchased for lots of money. Just wait until the kid is a year old
or so and you'll be safe.
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