Can I drink it?
November 28, 2011 2:51 PM Subscribe
Does powdered milk actually expire?
I have some powdered milk drinks (instant chai, essentially, just add hot water) from an Indian grocery that are past their expiration date. Can I still use them? I've opened one (expiry 03/11) and I can't decide if it smells sour or I'm imagining things.
The chai is in individually sealed silver packets, so I'm not particularly worried about contamination.
FWIW, I have had powdered milk tea from Taiwan that had "expired" but I made them and suffered no ill effects. I trust that the manufacturing processes in both India and Taiwan are more or less up to FDA standards, but correct me if I'm wrong.
I have some powdered milk drinks (instant chai, essentially, just add hot water) from an Indian grocery that are past their expiration date. Can I still use them? I've opened one (expiry 03/11) and I can't decide if it smells sour or I'm imagining things.
The chai is in individually sealed silver packets, so I'm not particularly worried about contamination.
FWIW, I have had powdered milk tea from Taiwan that had "expired" but I made them and suffered no ill effects. I trust that the manufacturing processes in both India and Taiwan are more or less up to FDA standards, but correct me if I'm wrong.
bilabial: can you tell before you add water? Does it happen if it's still sealed (as is the case for the OP)?
posted by nat at 3:29 PM on November 28, 2011
posted by nat at 3:29 PM on November 28, 2011
Nthing Bilabial. Powdered milk most definitely goes off. Dunno about you, but my experience was, yes, you could definitely tell because it was so horrific. I don't know if the spices etc of chai would mask the foul odour and equally bad texture. I don't know how closely that will relate to expiration date.
If you think it smells sour, it's probably bad. You don't want to drink off powdered milk, dude, I'm telling you, don't go there.
posted by smoke at 4:17 PM on November 28, 2011
If you think it smells sour, it's probably bad. You don't want to drink off powdered milk, dude, I'm telling you, don't go there.
posted by smoke at 4:17 PM on November 28, 2011
Best answer: Sour/rancid.
There's milk fat in the powdered milk, even in the skim varieties, you just can't get 100% of the fat out.
Spoiled fat is among the most disgusting smells/tastes.
Just. Horrific.
posted by bilabial at 4:44 PM on November 28, 2011 [1 favorite]
There's milk fat in the powdered milk, even in the skim varieties, you just can't get 100% of the fat out.
Spoiled fat is among the most disgusting smells/tastes.
Just. Horrific.
posted by bilabial at 4:44 PM on November 28, 2011 [1 favorite]
Also, it tastes worse than it smells when bad. If it moderately fails the sniff test, and you taste it anyway, please do not report back with results.
posted by bilabial at 4:45 PM on November 28, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by bilabial at 4:45 PM on November 28, 2011 [1 favorite]
Yes, yes, yes, yes.
The instant stuff deteriorates really fast even under ideal storage conditions. And "loss of flavor" is the least of your concerns. Under ideal conditions you'd want to ditch the instant milk product even if you weren't worried about the expiration date. And anything that smells funny, that's made of or with dairy, is, well, waving the giant "do not eat me" flag. You could not pay me to drink that milk. The non-instant stuff, halfway through it's shelf life, sealed up nice and tight, is pretty freaking awful to start off with.
(It may help you to realize that powdered milk is completely unlike, e.g., salt or wheat flour, in that it's a bunch of different kinds of things all mixed together, then dehydrated, instead of being one thing ground into dust. It's still milk, just not wet. It still absorbs flavors about as well as flour, though - and I bet those foil packets aren't nearly as good as a proper mylar storage bag. Just, no.)
posted by SMPA at 5:17 PM on November 28, 2011
The instant stuff deteriorates really fast even under ideal storage conditions. And "loss of flavor" is the least of your concerns. Under ideal conditions you'd want to ditch the instant milk product even if you weren't worried about the expiration date. And anything that smells funny, that's made of or with dairy, is, well, waving the giant "do not eat me" flag. You could not pay me to drink that milk. The non-instant stuff, halfway through it's shelf life, sealed up nice and tight, is pretty freaking awful to start off with.
(It may help you to realize that powdered milk is completely unlike, e.g., salt or wheat flour, in that it's a bunch of different kinds of things all mixed together, then dehydrated, instead of being one thing ground into dust. It's still milk, just not wet. It still absorbs flavors about as well as flour, though - and I bet those foil packets aren't nearly as good as a proper mylar storage bag. Just, no.)
posted by SMPA at 5:17 PM on November 28, 2011
Response by poster: Teach me more science: what spoils in the fat? Do the lipids break down? What makes it rancid?
(Worry not, powdered packages pitched.)
posted by maryr at 7:22 PM on November 28, 2011
(Worry not, powdered packages pitched.)
posted by maryr at 7:22 PM on November 28, 2011
Response by poster: Oh, and by foil, I probably meant mylar.
posted by maryr at 7:23 PM on November 28, 2011
posted by maryr at 7:23 PM on November 28, 2011
Fat oxidizes, which means...yes, the lipids break down. Foods that are meant to have incredibly long shelf life will have additive antioxidants (you see what they did there?) or the package will instruct you to store in a "cool dry place," or to "keep refrigerated."
"Room temperature" seems like a safe enough bet, right? Except that many of us store things in cupboards near the stove or oven, which doesn't keep heat in nearly as well as would be ideal (to my mind). Above the stove would seem ok, except that the heat from cooking rises. Next to the fridge is just as bad, because it also emanates heat.
The mylar helps slow things down, because it does a pretty ok job of keeping new air out. But the problem is that the process of oxidization starts as soon as a fat is exposed to any air. So, keeping cool will only slow the process, not halt it. (Same as bacteria growth in your fridge, and your freezer. The freezer slows things way down, but does not kill the hardy bacteria.)
posted by bilabial at 7:41 PM on November 28, 2011
"Room temperature" seems like a safe enough bet, right? Except that many of us store things in cupboards near the stove or oven, which doesn't keep heat in nearly as well as would be ideal (to my mind). Above the stove would seem ok, except that the heat from cooking rises. Next to the fridge is just as bad, because it also emanates heat.
The mylar helps slow things down, because it does a pretty ok job of keeping new air out. But the problem is that the process of oxidization starts as soon as a fat is exposed to any air. So, keeping cool will only slow the process, not halt it. (Same as bacteria growth in your fridge, and your freezer. The freezer slows things way down, but does not kill the hardy bacteria.)
posted by bilabial at 7:41 PM on November 28, 2011
I disagree on the comment that even skim milk powder goes bad. The freaky survivalist guys keep it for years (admittedly in de-oxygenated containers). Your drink may well be skim milk based.
In any case, the worst that could happen to you is you might taste something unpleasant.
Mix it up, give it a taste, drink if you like it. Oxidised (rancid) fat is not a health issue, just unpleasant tasting.
posted by bystander at 4:06 AM on November 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
In any case, the worst that could happen to you is you might taste something unpleasant.
Mix it up, give it a taste, drink if you like it. Oxidised (rancid) fat is not a health issue, just unpleasant tasting.
posted by bystander at 4:06 AM on November 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
(more foul than powdered milk in its, um, consumable state.)
posted by bilabial at 2:59 PM on November 28, 2011 [2 favorites]