Little-known facts about honey: it never spoils, but it becomes toxic

Honey — one of the few products that can be eaten without looking at the production date. This product remains edible even after many years of storage. The reason for such incredible properties lies in the special chemical composition that bees endow it with. In fact, honey can be stored “forever”, but certain conditions must be met for this to happen. Otherwise, over time it begins to change and even potentially toxic substances are formed in it, which are still poorly understood.

Little known facts about honey: it never spoils, but it becomes toxic. Honey can be stored «forever» under certain conditions: Photo source: agropolit.com. Photo.

Honey can be stored «forever» under certain conditions: Photo source: agropolit.com

Contents

  • 1 How bees make honey
  • 2 Why honey can be stored for a long time
  • 3 Can honey spoil
  • 4 How to properly store honey

How bees make honey

< p>Currently, science knows several hundred types of honey, from 20 thousand species of honey bees. The composition largely depends on the type of bees and the nectar from which it is produced. Nectar contains sucrose, that is, a mixture of glucose and fructose, which bees convert into simple, highly concentrated sugars.

Processing of flower nectar into simple sugars occurs in the stomachs of bees. This is a rather complex process in which various chemicals and enzymes take part. For example, glucose oxidase is responsible for the breakdown of glucose. It converts it into gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide. After complete processing of the nectar, the bees regurgitate the resulting liquid and fill the honeycombs with it.

How bees make honey. Bees process nectar in the stomach, and then regurgitate the finished product. Photo source: dzen.ru. Photo.

Bees process nectar in their stomachs and then regurgitate the finished product. Photo source: dzen.ru

The water gradually evaporates from the honeycomb, as a result of which the liquid becomes viscous, that is, it turns into the honey we know. In addition to sugars, it contains a number of other substances, which include minerals, vitamins, enzymes, as well as quite a lot of organic acids, flavonoid and phenolic compounds. It is thanks to this composition that honey has beneficial properties. For example, it has an anti-inflammatory effect and contains antioxidants.

Why honey can be stored for a long time

As you know, food is lost due to bacteria that multiply in it. It follows that bacteria do not multiply in honey. The reason lies in the chemicals that occur in the bees' stomachs during honey production. By the way, some other products also have antibacterial properties, for example, cabbage juice.

Several chemical substances provide honey with antibacterial properties. First of all, this property is due to the product’s high content of several acids: gluconic, acetic, formic and citric acids. Therefore, honey is even more acidic than coffee, so most microbes cannot withstand such an acidic environment.

Why honey can be stored for a long time. Honey can be stored for a long time due to its antibacterial properties. Photo source: kuban24.tv. Photo.

Honey can be stored for a long time due to its antibacterial properties. Photo source: kuban24.tv

In addition, the composition contains hydrogen peroxide, which prevents bacteria from forming a so-called biofilm. But that's not all. Although honey is hygroscopic, that is, capable of absorbing moisture from the environment, there is practically no water available for bacteria in it, which does not allow them to reproduce.

Can honey spoil

Due to – Due to its antibacterial properties, honey cannot spoil in the usual sense of the word, that is, it is not spoiled by bacteria. However, it can change its properties – crystallization of its individual components, fermentation, oxidation, etc. occurs.

The changes that occur with this product depend on many factors, such as its type, the source of the nectar, the region where it was collected, etc. As a result of long-term storage, honey may undergo a Maillard reaction. By the way, it is this reaction that caramelizes sugar, as a result of which it changes taste and color.

Can honey go bad? Over time, honey begins to change. Photo source: bashkirpaseki.ru. Photo.

Over time, honey begins to change. Photo source: bashkirpaseki.ru

The Maillard reaction produces a potentially toxic compound from sugars known as “5-hydroxymethylfurfural,” or HMF. This substance is found in many other products, from dried fruits to milk. That is, its presence in itself is not dangerous, but high levels of content can cause harm to health. However, safe levels of HMF are still poorly understood.

According to some studies, this compound may fuel cancer. Other studies have shown that this substance, on the contrary, is useful – it can prevent allergic reactions. According to the international Codex Alimentarius standard, the maximum permissible HMF content is 40 mg/kg for honey products.

Different types of honey may exceed the safe limit for different periods of time. For example, only 18 months are enough for sunflower honey, while acacia honey accumulates harmful substances only after five years of storage.

Can honey go bad. Honey should be stored at room temperature in an airtight container. Photo source: vm.ru. Photo.

Honey should be stored at room temperature in an airtight container. Photo source: vm.ru

How to properly store honey

Many people put honey in a cool place or even in the refrigerator. But studies have shown that the product is best preserved at a temperature of 24 degrees. That is, it is advisable to store honey at room temperature.

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According to experts, raw honey is best stored. For example, in an airtight container, it can be stored “forever”. The shelf life of pasteurized honey can be several years. However, it is not resistant to bacterial attack, as it lacks some enzymes and compounds. But, in any case, honey can be added to the list of products with the longest shelf life, which can be stocked up in case of an apocalypse.


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