The chemical secrets that help keep honey fresh for so long
But honey is an unusual case, and here is why. It's made by honeybees from flower nectar, and starts out as a warmish, watery, sugary fluid, the kind of thing that seems like it would be the purest bacteria bait. The bees concentrate the nectar on the way to the hive, removing some of the water, use enzymes to raise the acid content in the fluid discouraging some forms of microorganisms from growing, and break down the sugars into simpler ones, then decant the stuff into honeycomb chambers.