4 ms·

Curious how sugar is a preservative? I would have thought it was food for bacteria.

• rdoherty 10y ago
  I believe sugar is a preservative because it's hygroscopic. http://www.sciencefocus.com/qa/how-does-sugar-act-preservative http://www.sciencefocus.com/qa/how-does-sugar-act-preservati...
• AstralStorm 10y ago
  Osmotic effect on cell walls. Does not matter for chocolate or already dry pastries.
• deleted 10y ago
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• deleted 10y ago
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• gambiting 10y ago
  Honey is pretty much nothing but sugar yet absolutely no bacteria can grow in it - there's basically a point where there's too much of it.
  • deleted 10y ago
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  • caf 10y ago
    Honey also contains a small amount of hydrogen peroxide.
• uremog 10y ago
  Like salt, it takes up all the water, which bacteria needs.
• tormeh 10y ago
  It's both. The dosage makes the poison.
• dghughes 10y ago
  Honey is an antibacterial and it actually promotes healing. >"The manuka, jelly bush and pasture honeys are capable of stimulating the monocytes, the precursors of macrophages, to secrete TNF-α..." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3609166/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3609166/ I'm not the roots and berries type but honey seems to be an amazing compound for medicinal purposes.
• joe5150 10y ago
  This, among other factors. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_activity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_activity