How can sugar act like a food preservative when it’s said to attract bacteria?

Question

How can sugar act like a food preservative when it’s said to attract bacteria?

In: 1

Answer 1

In things like jams and such, a lot of water is removed and sugar added. Because there’s much less water in jam than in a bacterial cell, and the concentration of sugar is high, water inside the cell rushes out – which tends to kill or at least disable many pathogens.