Leave it on the shelf too long and honey begins to crystallize. 蜂蜜放在货架上太久是会结晶的。Heating the honey returns it to its original condition, but if you add water, you could ruin the honey completely. 将蜂蜜加热使它转化成最原始的状态，但如果你往里加水，你就有可能会完全毁了蜂蜜。That's because honey, which is a preservative in its original state, ferments once it's diluted. 那是因为蜂蜜在其原始状态下是不变质的，而当加水稀释后则会发酵。In ancient times, honey was used as a food preservative. 在古代的时候，蜂蜜被用于食物防腐剂。It works as a preservative because the high concentration of sugar in honey forces the water out of any yeast or bacteria cells that could otherwise contaminate the food. 它作为防腐剂的工作原理是蜂蜜中的高浓度的糖会将酵母或细菌细胞中的水分排出来，否则这些细胞会污染食物。This process, known as "osmosis," is also what makes salt such an effective preservative. 这个过程叫做“透析”，同样也使得盐成了一种有效的防腐剂。Eventually, the process of osmosis destroys those cells by drawing out all their water--in other words, by drying them up. 最后，这个透析的过程会通过吸干所有的水分，换句话说就是使其变干燥，从而破坏细胞。So because of its high sugar concentration, pure honey will never ferment or go bad. 所以说由于它的高浓度，纯蜂蜜将永远不会发酵或变质。It may crystallize but by soaking the jar in hot water you can turn it back into a liquid. 蜂蜜是会结晶的，但如果你把蜂蜜罐放到热水里，它是会再变回液体的。Adding water, however, lowers the concentration of sugar in the honey and turns a natural preservative into an excellent food for yeast and bacteria. 加水，降低蜂蜜中糖的浓度，会将天然防腐剂转成酵母和细菌的绝好食物。You may not want a fermented jar of honey on your shelf, but ancient people turned that characteristic of honey to their advantage in creating what may well have been the very first alcoholic beverage. 你可能不会想在你的书架上摆一瓶发酵了的蜂蜜罐子，但是古人利用蜂蜜的这个特点，创造出了第一批酒精饮料。Honey mixed in water and allowed to ferment, produces the drink called "mead." 将蜂蜜和水混在一起，让其发酵，制出来的饮料叫“蜂蜜酒”。So you may or may not want to add water to your honey. 但你可能想也可能不想往蜂蜜里兑水。If what you want is mead, go ahead, but if you want your honey to last, . . . keep it pure. 如果你想要的是“蜂蜜酒”，那可以兑水，但如果你想要的就是蜂蜜，那就不要兑水。Next time on "A Moment of Science," we'll see why honey can help baked goods last longer. 下次在“科学时刻”,“我们将会看到为什么蜂蜜可以帮助烘焙食品保质更长时间。
