Bizzare Facts

Honey is one of the only foods on Earth that is naturally eternal. It simply does not spoil, no matter how long it sits on the shelf. Its immortality is the result of a perfect chemical storm: it has an extremely low water content (usually less than 18%), which suffocates bacteria and mold, and a high acidity (pH 3-4.5) that creates an inhospitable environment for most spoilage organisms.

Additionally, bees add an enzyme called **glucose oxidase** when they produce honey from nectar. This enzyme reacts with the honey and naturally produces small amounts of **hydrogen peroxide**, the same antiseptic you use to clean wounds. This gives honey a faint antibacterial quality, ensuring that any microbes that try to move in are quickly eliminated.

This combination of factors means that if properly sealed in a jar, honey can last indefinitely. **Archaeologists** excavating ancient Egyptian tombs have frequently discovered clay jars of honey buried with pharaohs to sweeten their journey into the afterlife. Upon laboratory testing, this honey—over 3,000 years old—was found to be not only chemically stable but safe to eat. It is proof that bees are the ultimate master chemists of food preservation.