Use your knowledge of the movement of water to explain why honey has antibacterial properties

Honey has a lower water potential than the water inside bacterial cells due to its high ionic content.Water moves by osmosis from areas of higher water potential to areas of lower water potential.Therefore, water will move out of bacterial cells and into the honey.This causes the bacterial cells to dehydrate and they die.This is an example of a more applied type of biology exam question that A level students can expect. The key markscheme points are underlined.

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Answered by Sanskriti S. Biology tutor

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