Honey! Why do you have such long life?

Honey is fructose rich sweet syrup, which is naturally prepared by honey bees. Honey bees collect the sweet nectar from the plants, refine it with the help of their saliva and regurgitate into the honey comb cells of the beehive. Fanning by the honey bees reduces the water content of honey.

Food substances have a restricted shelf life beyond which they tend to get decomposed and spoilt. Bacteria, fungi and yeasts are the main culprits behind food decay. There are many factors like, temperature, amount of water, pH of food substances etc which decide the rate of growth of these micro-organisms.

Honey is one of the miracle foods and it has been used by human beings since ages. Its world wide use is because of its multifarious benefits with an added longer shelf life. Honey in its raw form is pure and can stay for centuries together. During the excavation of Egyptian pyramids, honeycombs, sealed jars of honey were detected which were not decayed. This is a clear evidence for the fact that pure honey can be preserved for a considerably long period.

A sufficiently long life of honey is by virtue of its unique composition and its physical properties. Chemically honey is made up of 82% of carbohydrates. Fructose (38.2%) is the major monosaccharide in it. Other carbohydrates present in honey are glucose (31%), maltose (7%), and sucrose (1%).  It is rich in amino acid proline, vitamins and antioxidants. Moisture content of pure honey varies between 14%-18%.

Properties which prevent honey from decay are:

• Purity of honey is assessed by its moisture content. Water content below 20% indicates a good quality of honey. This concentration of water is insufficient for the airborne micro-organisms to breed and multiply.
• Honey has a very low pH ranging from 3 to 4.5. Acidic pH inhibits the growth of many micro-organisms.
• A higher concentration of sugar is another primary factor which curtails the growth of micro-organisms. The combination of high sugar concentration and low water content prevents it from getting fermented. Micro-organisms fail to sustain as they get dehydrated by the process of osmosis due to a high concentration of sugar. The same principle is used in the preservation of fruit jams.
• Hydrogen peroxide is produced by the enzyme glucose oxidase present in honey which is competent in inhibiting the microbial growth in honey.
• The percentage of proteins is relatively low. Microorganisms fail to live in such low nitrogenous content.
• Many microorganisms fail to digest fructose which is the major component of honey.

Honey finds a widespread application in our day to day life ranging from food to medicinal and therapeutic use. Its increased shelf life is like an added flavor. Pure honey properly stored in glass or ceramic containers with tight lids can be relished for ages together.

 

 

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