Honey is one of the ancient sweet foods recorded in human history, and people have been collecting and using honey since the Stone Age. It is a sweet natural substance produced by bees brewing from nectar or plant secretions.
Since the composition of honey depends on the type of bees and the variety of plants and flowers they collect, the taste and color of honey can vary greatly. However, honey is mostly composed of 80% sugar and no more than 20% water. It also contains trace amounts of other substances such as organic acids, potassium, proteins, enzymes and vitamins.
In daily life, in order to extend the shelf life of honey, people often choose to keep it in the refrigerator, but not all foods can be refrigerated. For honey, the texture of the product changes when it is refrigerated. After being stored in the refrigerator for a period of time, the honey will crystallize, harden and thicken. That is, honey is put in the refrigerator, but it may be caused by moisture to crystallize and precipitate glucose. Although this change does not affect the safety of honey, nor does it affect its nutritional value, it will affect the taste to a certain extent. So honey doesn't have to be refrigerated.
Why does honey crystallize when stored in the refrigerator?
In fact, there are two main reasons: First, it is related to the sugar composition of honey itself. If the glucose content in honey is high and the fructose content is low, this honey is easy to crystallize, such as linden honey and rape honey; if the honey glucose content is low and the fructose content is high, this honey is not easy to crystallize, such as acacia honey. Second, whether honey is crystallized or not is related to the processing process. Some manufacturers have a better filtration effect, and there are almost no pollen particles or small crystalline particles left in the honey, and this honey is not easy to crystallize.
Why can honey be stored outside the refrigerator for a long time?
First, about 80% of the components in honey are sugar, and the high sugar content means that the osmotic pressure in honey is very high, which will allow water to flow out of microbial cells, which can inhibit the reproduction of a variety of microorganisms. Although honey contains about 17-18% water, the activity of water is very low, and microorganisms cannot use it, making it difficult to ferment or decompose honey.
Second, the pH value of honey is partially acidic, between 3.4 and 6.1, with an average PH value of 3.9, this acidic environment is very effective for inhibiting and killing microorganisms.
Finally, remind everyone that the best way to store honey is to store it at room temperature in an airtight container.
First of all, the container to choose glass, ceramic products will be better, because honey has some enzymes or acidic substances, if the use of iron, easy to occur chemical reactions, affecting the quality of honey and some nutrients; secondly, to seal, after sealing will not react with air and water. When storing honey at room temperature, be sure to avoid light and choose a cool, dry and ventilated place, so that the storage time will be longer.
This article is scientifically checked by Mou Dan, a first-level teacher at the middle school of the Experimental School Affiliated to the Haidian District Teachers' Training School in Beijing.
Xinhua Network Science Popularization Division
Popular Science China - Scientific principles are one-point
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