Can expired honey still be used?

Nowadays, honey is usually bought in large bottles. However, due to our busy work, we may not remember to eat honey for a long time. Over time, the honey may crystallize. Some people tend to think that the honey is expired or spoiled, so they throw it away. So, does honey have crystal stones and is it expired? Can expired honey still be eaten?

Real honey will crystallize after being stored for a long time, but this does not mean that the honey has gone bad, and this kind of honey is still edible.

Scientific research and practice have proved that honey has strong antibacterial ability and is the only food in the world that will not spoil. In 1913, American archaeologists discovered a jar of honey in an ancient tomb in the Egyptian pyramids. It was determined that the honey was more than 3,300 years old, but it had not deteriorated at all and was still edible. It can be seen that truly mature honey is completely edible after being stored for a long time and does not have a strict shelf life. However, this refers to pure honey. If other things are added to the honey, it will become very easy to spoil. As a food on the market, the Food Law requires that the shelf life be indicated on the food product, so honey manufacturers generally set the shelf life of honey at 2 years.

However, it must be pointed out that if it is not mature honey or is an inferior product such as honey mixed with water, these honeys will ferment and bubble, become sour after being left for a long time and cannot be eaten. Of course, if the fermentation is not serious, it can still be eaten after heating in a water bath at about 60℃ for half an hour.

In short, no matter what kind of honey it is, or how long it has been stored, as long as it has not deteriorated, it can be eaten and will not be harmful to the body. It’s just that the nutritional value of long-stored honey is slightly lower than that of fresh honey.

If the honey you buy is purely natural and relatively pure, without any other additives, then this kind of honey can be stored for a long time without deteriorating. Even if crystallization occurs, it is not deteriorated and can still be eaten normally. In addition, honey crystallization is also a way to identify whether honey is real honey. However, if the honey you buy contains other additives, you should not consume it after its expiration date.