According to historical records, in 1913, American archaeologists found a pot of honey in the ancient tombs of the Egyptian pyramids, and it was identified that this altar honey had lasted for more than 3300 years, but it still did not deteriorate and could still be eaten normally. So people came to the conclusion that honey can be uncorrupted for thousands of years.
In 2014, archaeologists discovered an early Bronze Age tomb in Georgia (the Caucasus region of southwestern Asia), and among the artifacts unearthed, the most remarkable thing was a jar of wild fruit that was so well preserved that when researchers cut these at least 4,000-year-old wild fruits, the fruit also emitted the aroma of fresh fruit. Why are these wild fruits so well preserved? The answer is that they are kept in honey.
According to the above two cases of "honey is not rotten for thousands of years" found by archaeologists, it is enough to show that honey is really a very special natural preservative, and it is the only food in human history that will not rot and deteriorate after three or four thousand years. The reason for this is that it turns out to be the brewer of honey, the bee, which has a unique "alchemy".
As we all know, there is a biologically active enzyme in the stomach of bees, the scientific name is called glucose oxidase, which is actually what we often call bee saliva. When the bee returns to the nest and spits the nectar stored in the honey sac into the hive, the in-house bee first sucks the honey juice into its stomach and mixes it with invertase, and then spits it out, and then sucks it in, after more than 200 times of repeated swallowing by the working bee, and then instigates the wings to dry the water and seal the storage, which is the whole process of honey making honey by bees. In this painstaking brewing process, this enzyme substance will have a chemical reaction with the nectar, breaking the nectar into two by-products: gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide, which is the most magical "alchemy" of the little bee. Hydrogen peroxide, an oxide of hydrogen, is rich in antimicrobial peptides, has a strong oxidation, and is weakly acidic, a chemical that kills all bacteria that may grow in honey. Hear clearly, it's all bacteria.
Therefore, we have reason to believe that honey has the ability to sterilize, anti-inflammatory, heal wounds, and promote the regeneration of body tissue.
So, can honey really be purchased with more and more and stored for three or five years to eat? The answer is definitely not. As a professional bee worker, I can responsibly tell you that the best retention period for honey: 2-3 years.
Because, although honey has a strong ability to antibacterial and bacteriostatic, it can be stored for a long time. But this preservation requires certain conditions. First the temperature, then the utensils, and finally the seals.
Honey is more suitable for storing in a temperature of 5 °C --10 °C, while requiring the environment to avoid light, dry, clean, ventilated, air humidity can not exceed 75%. And when preserving honey, it is recommended to choose non-metallic containers such as ceramics, glass, food grade plastic bottles, etc., and at the same time, the containers must be completely sealed so that honey can be stored for a longer time.
Many people will have a tangled mood, since honey can be stored for a long time, why do you have to give prepackaged honey a retention period, this is because the most nutritious substance in honey is the active enzyme, the so-called activity, over time, it is possible to gradually lose, the nutritional content is relatively reduced, therefore, the altar of honey stored for more than 3,000 years of honey, that altar honey stained more than 4,000 years of wild fruit, although not corrupt, but whether it is suitable for normal consumption, whether it has nutritional value, but it is impossible to study.
Therefore, the conclusion is:
Honey is a natural preservative, and pure natural honey can be stored for a long time if properly preserved. However, when consumed within 2 years, honey is the most abundant in active nutrients.