“The Delightful Key to Honey’s Infinite Freshness”
Thanks to its powerful antibacterial properties, honey stands out as one of the few natural foods that can resist spoilage for years. Most microorganisms thrive in moist, moderately warm environments with neutral pH and plenty of oxygen. That’s why preserving food typically means removing those comforts—by increasing acidity through pickling, killing microbes with heat during cooking, slowing growth via refrigeration, drying out moisture, or sealing jars to block oxygen.
Despite these efforts, most foods only stay fresh for a limited time. Sooner or later, microbes find a way. Anyone who’s opened an old jar of butterscotch sauce only to find it covered in mold knows this well. Whether it’s black fuzz inside a peanut butter jar or sour juice overtaken by Lactobacillus, spoilage is often unmistakable—and inevitable.
The rare exception, however, is honey. Bees perform their magic on what begins as a warm, watery, sugary nectar, which is ideal habitat for bacteria. They break down sugars into simpler ones, remove water from the nectar, and use enzymes to make it more acidic. The end product is a high-acid, low-moisture material that is kept in honeycomb cells, which is an environment that is so inhospitable to microorganisms that they are unable to survive.
Then the bees do something amazing: they start using their wings to fan the honey. The remaining moisture is evaporated by this constant, gentle airflow, which is similar to a breeze drying perspiration off your skin. Over time, a liquid that is initially 70–80% water gradually becomes much more concentrated.
The honey’s water content has decreased to only 15–18% by the time it is fully ripened. Without the special technique honeybees employ, the high concentration of sugar would make it impossible to dissolve that much sugar in such a small amount of water under normal conditions.
Honey is packed with sugar—exactly what microorganisms crave. But thanks to the antibacterial properties of honey, combined with its low moisture content and natural acidity, most microbes simply can’t survive. Seal it in a jar to limit oxygen, and you create yet another layer of protection against spoilage.
Food scientists refer to this condition as “low water activity,” a proven method of preserving food. By reducing the amount of free water—often through the presence of salt or sugar—microbial growth is suppressed, even in foods that feel moist to the touch.
Still, honey isn’t completely immune. Once opened, it’s exposed to air, and any added moisture or bacteria—like from a reused spoon—can invite contamination.
But when you deliberately add water and introduce selected microorganisms, you’re not spoiling honey—you’re making mead. And that’s a form of fermentation most people are happy to enjoy, especially on a warm afternoon in the shade.
