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Why is Honey Considered a Preservative?How Honey Came to be Known as a Natural Alternative to PreservativesHoney can be used as an alternative to preservatives, but how does it work and why? This article will make it clearer to those who prefer to use natural preservatives
Honey, while appearing to be a liquid, actually has a very low water content. It therefore can keep the growth of water-preferring bacteria at bay. There has been some scientific research indicating that honey creates what is known as a viscous barrier against bacteria and infection. This means that it creates a sticky barrier between itself and other ingredients in the product. This barrier traps bacteria and prevents it from penetrating through to the ingredients that may be liable to spoil with air and water-based bacteria. Honey creates this barrier by a process which involves Hydrogen Peroxide. This chemical is created from activity from the enzyme Glucose Oxidase, which is naturally present in honey. This reaction occurs more frequently in honey that has been kept out of direct sunlight. Therefore, if you are using honey as a preservative, you must ensure the honey used has spent as much of its lifespan away from direct light sources. Honey, while being able to prevent bacteria invasion, can be susceptible to spoil through fermentation due to the high sugar content naturally occurring in it. The fermentation process will, in turn, spoil any other ingredients that the honey is combined with. This fermentation process can be prevented by applying heat to the honey before use. Although there is also some scientific evidence to suggest that heat-treated honey is less effective as a preservative than unprocessed honey. The reasoning behind this is that it is the heat present in light that slows the peroxide activity and not the light itself. Manuka honey is a specific type of honey that reputably has been shown to have higher antibacterial qualities than normal honey. It comes from honey that has been produced by bees in New Zealand that have access to several varieties of trees that are known under the generic name of ’Manuka’. Some tests have shown it to protect against bacteria such as Staphylococcus Aureus, the antibiotic resistant super bug. These antibacterial qualities also appear to be present even when the honey has been subjected to heat and other refining processes. This honey also has a higher antibacterial quality due to a second process that occurs in it called the ‘Non Peroxide Activity’. This process occurs when another chemical called Catalase is present. So there you have it, the reasons as to why honey can be used as a natural preservative. While there is evidence to suggest it can safely be used to preserve products, there is also some conflicting evidence to suggest that it may not be as effective as originally thought. Once again, as with all natural preservatives, it is important to observe any unusual changes or odours that occur within your product, rather than relying exclusively on the preserving properties of honey. Sources
The copyright of the article Why is Honey Considered a Preservative? in Natural Products is owned by Rachel Tsoumbakos. Permission to republish Why is Honey Considered a Preservative? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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