In fact, honey has strong antibacterial ability, and it is indeed a food that is not easy to deteriorate. It has been explained clearly in science. Real mature pure honey has no problem after eating for a long time, and there is no strict shelf life. In fact, according to China's food safety standard (GB77 18), except for wine, vinegar, solid sugar, salt and monosodium glutamate whose temperature is above 10, other foods need to be marked with a shelf life, so the shelf life of honey we see in the market is generally about two years.
Why can bees be preserved for a long time?
This is because the main component of honey is sugar, and the content is very high. Sugar acts like salt, which can form a high osmotic pressure, making it almost impossible for microorganisms to grow. So there is no need to add preservatives, and it is not easy to deteriorate. It can be preserved for a long time under certain conditions. So, not all microorganisms are afraid of sugar. There is a microorganism in honey called osmophilic yeast, which can survive tenaciously. Osmophilic yeast is an important indicator of the current national standard for honey. If the temperature is appropriate, osmophilic yeast can reproduce slowly, leading to honey fermentation, foam and bottle cap expansion. Fermented honey will produce a slight sour taste and wine taste. Although this does not affect the food safety, it will affect the quality and taste of honey. Because of the existence of osmophilic yeast, honey can be fermented even after low temperature concentration.
In addition, many people think that raw honey, bulk honey and earth honey in bee farms are more nutritious, so they buy them to eat. Although native honey is a pure "natural product" and an untreated "original ecological product", the control of osmophilic yeast is often poor, it is not resistant to release, and it is easier to ferment and deteriorate.
In daily life, the storage of honey is also particular. Many people like to drink honey, but they don't know how to preserve it correctly.
The suitable storage temperature of honey is in the range of 5℃ to 10℃, and it is best to keep it in a dry, clean and ventilated room, so as to avoid sunlight and change the quality of honey. In addition, it should be noted that honey has hygroscopicity, and the honey container is not tight, which may easily lead to honey absorbing moisture in the air, thus causing partial crystallization and honey fermentation, so honey storage must be sealed. It is also important to choose a suitable container when storing, because honey is a weakly acidic liquid. If honey comes into contact with tinplate, acidic substances can easily react with metals, and zinc, iron and lead on the container will be dissolved in honey, which will pollute the honey with metals or make the honey deteriorate.
This work is the original of "Popular Science China-A Brief Introduction to Scientific Principles", please indicate the source for reprinting.