[CH] Re: Habanero Honey
scott wood (swood@mercury.bc.ca)
Wed, 29 Jul 1998 14:33:59 -0700
I just happen to have my copy of "On Food and Cooking" by
Harold McGee here at work (a book that anyone who likes food
or cooking should own).
As to what it does, here's what he says:
Another ancient technique for making plant foods, especially fruits,
resistant to spoilage is to boost their sugar content to the point
where micro-organisms will be dehydrated by the osmotic pressure
across their membranes. If the concentration of dissolved material
is higher outside the microbe than it is inside, then water will
be drawn across the cell membrane, and the microbe will be
incapacitated or killed.
He also mentions that preservation in honey has been used for
at least 2000 years, including even meat.
With regards to refrigeration:
Evaporation and condensation of water at the surface of preserves
can result in patches hospitable to molds. It is to avoid surface
mold that paraffin is often used to seal home preserves, and for
the same reason such products are best kept refrigerated after
opening.
scott
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Scott Wood mailto:swood@mercury.bc.ca
Mercury Scheduling, Vancouver