Modern archaeologists, excavating ancient Egyptian tombs, very often find amazing things. Among such artifacts were pots of honey. The most striking thing about the finds was the fact that the honey in them retained its properties even after thousands of years: one could safely scoop up the viscous sweet mass with a spoon and eat it.
But not only honey can be stored for centuries, there are other products with an eternal shelf life.
Salt, sugar and dried rice can be stored unchanged for a long time. But, unlike them, honey also has healing properties. But what makes it so special?
The answer to this question is as multifaceted as the taste of honey itself. To get a food product with an unlimited shelf life, you need a harmonious coincidence of a whole mass of factors.
One of them is the chemical composition. First of all, honey is sugar. Sugars are hygroscopic, that is, they contain very little water in their natural state and easily absorb moisture if they are not tightly sealed.
Amina Harris, executive director of the Center for Honey and Pollination at the Robert Mondavi Institute at the University of California, Davis, explains: “Honey in its natural form has extremely low moisture content. Only a few bacteria and microorganisms can survive in such an environment - they usually die in it. Honey literally smothers them."
This is an important factor contributing to the longevity of honey: in order for it to deteriorate, it must have something in it that can spoil it. Therefore, the more airtight the packaging, the longer this delicacy will be stored.
In addition, honey is extremely acidic.
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“Its pH fluctuates between 3 and 4.5, and this level of acidity kills almost everything that could grow and develop in it,” says Harris. "Therefore, bacteria and harmful organisms should look for another place to live - in a jar of honey, their life will be too short."
However, honey is not the only hygroscopic food product. Let's say that the same molasses (molasses), a by-product of sugar production, is extremely hygroscopic. In addition, its acidity is also high, although lower than that of honey (pH about 5.5). However, it still deteriorates, albeit slowly.
Molasses (black syrup).
A reasonable question arises: "Why do similar products have such a different shelf life?" It's all about the bees.
There is indeed something of alchemy in the process of making honey. We all know that the main raw material for honey is nectar, which itself contains a sufficient amount of water (60% to 80%). And, as strange as it may sound, bees literally dry it out with the flaps of their wings.
In addition, these industrious insects produce an enzyme in the stomach that combines with nectar to form hydrogen peroxide and gluconic acid.
Hydrogen peroxide, says Harris, is honey's next line of defense against harmful organisms that could develop in it.
The wonderful properties of honey
The healing properties of honey have been known for thousands of years. The earliest mentions of it can be found in Sumerian tablets: honey is found in almost a third of medical recipes. Due to its viscosity, the content of hydrogen peroxide, it was an excellent means of protection against infection for that time.
In ancient Egypt, they also knew about the miraculous properties of honey. It is often used in ointments to treat skin and eye diseases.
“Honey was used to cover wounds, burns, cuts and so on, because nothing develops in it. It was such a natural bandage,”says Harris. “Besides, if honey is not sealed, it will absorb moisture. It draws water from the wound that may have been a source of contamination and releases some hydrogen peroxide. This amount of peroxide is exactly what is needed. It is in such a minimum dosage that it promotes healing."
And finally, the last factor that provides honey with a long shelf life is the tightness of the vessel, as evidenced by the thousand-year-old Egyptian pots of honey. No doubt honey is a superfood, but there is nothing supernatural about it: if left unsealed or added water, it is easy to spoil.
“As long as the lid is in place and there is no water in the product, it will not deteriorate. If you add water, it will deteriorate. If you open the lid, it can absorb water and deteriorate, says Harris.
Therefore, if you suddenly want to keep this wonderful product for centuries, look for a container that is more hermetic. If, of course, you can resist and not eat it earlier.