Is it possible to eat expired starch?

Optimal storage conditions at home

Starch, like any other food product, has certain storage conditions. To ensure a shelf life of 2 years, manufacturers recommend storing any type of starch in a dry and ventilated place with a humidity of no more than 75%, away from products with a strong odor.

Regardless of the variety and type, starch is stored well in cool, dry places, best in cabinets where sunlight does not penetrate;
The air temperature should be about 20 ° C, relative humidity - 75%;
It is best to store starch in its original packaging, but if the integrity of the packaging is damaged, then it is necessary to pour the starch into an airtight, waterproof container. Such measures are necessary because starch has strong hygroscopicity, that is, it absorbs all the moisture that gets into it and deteriorates;
You can store raw and dry starch in the refrigerator and freezer only in the original sealed packaging.

If these simple conditions are met, starch can be stored for quite a long time, but it is better to use it before the shelf life set by the manufacturer expires.

Stale pasta is deadly

If you are asked to name the foods that are the easiest to get poisoned with, you are unlikely to name rice or pasta. But perhaps you will change your mind after learning about the bacterium Bacillus cereus.

This is a very common microbe - mainly because it is unpretentious. B. cereus lives happily in soil, animals, insects, dust and plants. The microbe grows even better when it absorbs nutrients from foods, including rice, pasta, dairy products, spices, dried fruits and vegetables.

Some strains of bacteria are probiotically beneficial, but others can cause bouts of food poisoning, especially if they are allowed to grow and multiply, such as when food is stored in the wrong conditions. Worst case scenarios result in death.

In 2005, a similar case was recorded in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology - five children from one Italian family fell ill after eating pasta salad for four days. The salad was prepared on Friday and taken for a picnic on Saturday. After returning from the picnic, it was stored in the refrigerator until Monday evening, when the children divided the leftover salad for dinner.

Do you always follow the correct storage of food/medicines and their product proximity?

Yes, of course, this is very important so as not to spend money on your health later.

49.12%

Not really, because there won’t be anything like going to the toilet.

26.32%

I look at it by appearance and if I use anything after heat treatment.

24.56%

Votes: 171

That night they began vomiting severely and were all taken to hospital. It is tragic that the youngest child died; another suffered from liver failure but survived; and others had less serious food poisoning.

Another case, published in 2011, tells the story of a 20-year-old Belgian student who cooked his own food for the week - one day it was spaghetti with tomato sauce. The young man heated up the five-day pasta along with the sauce, but did not eat it right away, but a little later. He died that night after suffering from diarrhea, abdominal pain and profuse vomiting.

Why is starch “afraid”, what conditions are detrimental to it?

Starch is a durable substance, but, unfortunately, it can quickly be spoiled.

The most dangerous enemy of starch is water. Wet starch loses all its properties and becomes unsuitable for any actions with it. Drying moisture-saturated starch at home will also not work.
The second enemy of starch is pests. Yes, the same bugs that crawl in semolina, flour, buckwheat will also not refuse to frolic in starch. There are a huge number of species of these bugs, but we will not talk about them, because we do not need any of these species in starch.
The last enemy of starch is strong odors. Starch absorbs everything that is around it, including odors. For example, take the smell of onions. Having absorbed the pungent onion smell, the starch will happily transfer it to jelly, pudding or any other dessert that you want to treat yourself and your family to. No, onions smell great in those dishes where they are needed, but definitely not in berry jelly.

REFERENCE: The only role of starch in the human diet is to convert it into glucose for additional energy.

How to identify expired

If pasta is stored without its original packaging, it is impossible to find out the date of its manufacture. Delay is identified by the following criteria:

presence of mold;
musty smell;
chit;
presence of insects.

Any of the listed signs will indicate that it is unsuitable; it is unsafe to eat such pasta. Buying a side dish in a public catering establishment is dangerous. It will not be possible to check whether their consumption time has expired.

Is it possible to use expired

Pasta is a dry product, so the limit when it becomes unfit for food is extended over time. If the balance of temperature and room humidity is maintained, they are kept much longer than the time indicated by the manufacturer.

Their most dangerous enemy is moldy mushrooms. When spores land on the surface, mold immediately settles there and begins to multiply.

Does this product have a shelf life?

The shelf life is the period of time during which a food product remains of high quality and suitable for consumption. Starch retains the following properties: friability, white color, absence of smell and taste, and absence of swollen lumps. The expiration date is calculated by the manufacturer and must be indicated on the packaging:

for potato and corn starch it is 2 years from the date of production;
for wheat - 1 year.

Shelf life is closely related to shelf life. But these concepts should not be confused. For some products, following storage rules allows you to preserve their properties and extend their shelf life. But this approach does not work with perishable food products. For example, milk, bread, eggs should be consumed before the expiration date, otherwise significant harm may be caused to human health.

Shelf life is the time during which the product retains its original properties if storage rules are observed.

On the packaging, in addition to the expiration date, the manufacturer indicates the storage rules for the product:

store at a relative humidity of 75%;
The optimal storage temperature is 15 degrees.

It is also worth adding to these rules:

store in a dry place, in a well-ventilated area;
avoid contact with moisture;
without sudden fluctuations in ambient temperature;
observe the commodity proximity during storage, do not keep starch near strong-smelling substances;
do not allow starch powder to come into contact with old grain stocks infested with pests;
Store in clean fabric or polyethylene packaging.

Expiration date doesn't mean what you think it does. Why can you eat expired foods?

Olya Kashubina is the author of the telegram channel about health and medicine “ShBmnk”. Recently, in her channel, she talked about the expiration dates of products: why keeping track of expiration dates is not so important, what foods can be eaten even after expiration dates, how to understand whether a product has spoiled.

"And taste the blame if the flavor should remind you of greed"

Yesterday, British Prime Minister Theresa May, with the dignity inherent in every English lady, said: “If I find a jar of moldy jam, I simply remove the mold and eat it.” This quote was circulated throughout the European media as an illustration of the possible consequences of Brexit: they say, a little more, and Albion will begin to experience interruptions in food supplies from other countries, which means it is necessary to more rationally use the food that is already in the refrigerator.

For me, it doesn’t take Brexit to realize that we are monstrously unsustainable in relation to food. I haven’t seen statistics for Russia, but in the United States, 40% of all food is thrown into the trash. First of all, because of people’s desire to respect the expiration date of products.

As is the case with the expiration date of medicines, the expiration date of food is set by the manufacturer with a large margin. This way, on the one hand, he insures himself against claims from consumers who stored the product incorrectly (for example, did not adjust the temperature in the refrigerator or placed a bottle of sunflower oil in direct sunlight). On the other hand, a reduced shelf life encourages more frequent purchases of new, fresh products. This was discussed in "Adam Who Ruins Everything."

Yes, spoiled food can be harmful to your health. But in the vast majority of cases, you will be able to distinguish it from one that is suitable for consumption by appearance, smell and consistency. The rule is simple: throw away anything that looks or smells strange. The rest can be eaten! And in the case of milk, it’s even simpler: even if it sours, it will remain safe, because pasteurization kills all harmful microbes, and there’s nowhere to get new ones in a closed bottle from the refrigerator.

The situation with eggs is like this: if the expiration date has passed, just put them in a glass of water. Bacteria growing under the shell produce a gas that will cause the spoiled egg to float. Fresh - will remain at the bottom.

The only thing you really need to be careful with is meat. If the expiration date is running out and you don’t have time to cook, put it in the freezer.

But what about mold? Is it possible to eat bread, jam or cheese that has fluffy circles on it? The rule here is as follows: if the product had a soft consistency (bread, soft cheese, fruit, ham), then it is better to throw it away entirely, because the spores could germinate deeper. If hard cheese or, say, a vegetable like a carrot has become moldy, it is enough to cut out the spoiled piece and use the product as if nothing had happened. The problem with mold is that it can cause allergies or provoke diseases of the respiratory system, so if in doubt, it is better not to risk it and pack the spoiled product in paper or a bag before disposing of it.

Here's what you can definitely eat without fear (provided it looks and smells good): canned food, hard cheeses, corn flakes, eggs, frozen vegetables, cookies, butter that was stored in the freezer, bread, pasta, instant coffee, tea. Take care of nature as a whole and in pieces!

Episode “Adam Ruins Everything” about products and expiration dates (with Russian translation)

Yesterday, British Prime Minister Theresa May, with the dignity inherent in every English lady, said: “If I find a jar of moldy jam, I simply remove the mold and eat it.” This quote was circulated throughout the European media as an illustration of the possible consequences of Brexit: they say, a little more, and Albion will begin to experience interruptions in food supplies from other countries, which means it is necessary to more rationally use the food that is already in the refrigerator.

The shelf life of starch in the store

Few of us make our own starch at home, so we buy it at the store. Everything is simple with the timing of the sale of starch in the store. A store can sell goods only if two conditions are met:

The starch packaging is not damaged
Expiration date has not expired

With the first point, everything is extremely simple: the packaging is torn - it should not be on the counter, the product is damaged.

The expiration date should be clearly visible on the packaging, not covered up, not closed. Usually, the product indicates both the production date and the expiration date, as well as the expiration date itself, in our case it is up to 2 years.

What to do with expired condensed milk

This dish is prepared very, very simply.

First, prepare everything you will need during the cooking process.

Combine flour and soda. Grind the cottage cheese with egg, vanilla and regular sugar. Mix both types of preparations. Knead the dough. It should turn out soft.

On a note! If the cottage cheese is too wet or the egg is very large, then you need to add a little more flour than indicated in the recipe.

Pinch off small pieces from the resulting dough and roll them into lumps from which you need to form flagella. The optimal length of one workpiece is 7 cm.

Vegetable oil is poured into the frying pan and heated; it is better to use a refined product. The blanks are laid out on the bottom. They need to be fried until an appetizing golden brown crust forms. The curd sticks must be turned over and fried until cooked. To remove excess oil, the finished “sausages” should be placed on paper napkins.

While the sticks are still hot, sprinkle them with sugar and roll them thoroughly on all sides.

Fried curd sticks are served when they have cooled down a little.

You can make wonderful, delicious processed cheese from expired cottage cheese.
Cooking time – 2 hours.
Number of servings – 1.

To prepare processed cheese we will need:

cottage cheese – 700 g;
soda – 1 tsp;
butter – 30 g;
milk – 250 ml;
salt – 1 tsp.

You can cook something out of date only if the product has not changed its color or sour milk smell . Cottage cheese or sweet curd mass cannot be used even for cooking if:

the color of the product has changed;
the curd has become sticky to the touch;
areas with mold were found on the curd mass;
the smell ceased to be sour milk and a slight aroma of mold appeared.

It is not recommended to do anything with such products; it is better to immediately throw them in the trash to avoid serious health problems.

If they talk about stale cottage cheese, they mean cottage cheese that is several days past its expiration date and was stored in the refrigerator. It happens that the cottage cheese is fresh, but its taste is sour. This happens because milk sours faster, especially in summer. There is nothing scary or harmful in this.

Cottage cheese that is not yet completely sour, but no longer fresh, cannot be consumed raw. But, if you process it correctly, it is possible. It can be double heat treated. First, a frying pan, and then an oven. It makes wonderful casseroles and, of course, everyone’s favorite cheesecakes.

Eating foods whose expiration date has already passed is fraught with disastrous consequences. Likewise, expired cosmetics can cause significant damage to your health. Most often, the consequences of using expired cosmetics are various allergic reactions, conjunctivitis, dermatitis and acne.

The expiration date of cosmetics is set by the manufacturer. According to new regulations introduced in EU countries, the manufacturer is obliged to provide the buyer with all the necessary information about the release date and shelf life of the product, including from the moment of its opening. However, most cosmetic companies, primarily manufacturers of natural, organic and mineral cosmetics, indicate the expiration date on the packaging. For example, the expiration date of Yves Rocher cosmetics is clearly and clearly indicated on the packaging (see illustration).

How to determine the expiration date of cosmetics is a question that worries women who are concerned about their health. Unfortunately, many of them use false information for this purpose. For example, there is a widespread misconception that the shelf life of cosmetics can be determined by the barcode. Remember: you cannot determine the expiration date using a barcode!

In fact, it contains completely different information. First of all, about the country of origin of the product (this allows you to confirm or deny the authenticity of cosmetics). In addition, the barcode can be used to determine the manufacturing company and the name of the product. Typically, this data is used to account for manufactured and sold products.

If ordinary cosmetics contain a large amount of synthetic preservatives, which can increase the shelf life of products, then natural cosmetics do not contain them at all, or they are present in a minimal amount. Instead of the usual parabens, natural cosmetics manufacturers use natural preservatives - propolis, chamomile inflorescences, fruits containing benzoic acid, extracts from birch and bird cherry leaves.

For this reason, the shelf life of natural cosmetics is much shorter than that of conventional cosmetics, on average about 6 months. The absence of chemical preservatives promotes more active reproduction of dangerous microorganisms. The more natural ingredients a cosmetic product contains, the faster it needs to be used.

Marking

The obligation to label a product rests with the manufacturer and is protected by consumer protection law.

Federal Law No. 184 “On Technical Regulation” states that the manufacturer is obliged to calculate the shelf life depending on the technical regulations for each type of product, and cannot assign it at his own discretion without taking into account the properties of the product. The manufacturer is interested in indicating the correct information on the product packaging, because he bears full responsibility for the life and health of the consumer.

Only the month and year are printed on the packaging of long-life products.

Each package has a 13-character barcode. You can scan it using a special application on your phone or at special stands in the store and find out almost all the information about the product - country of origin, enterprise, product code. But the barcode will not tell you until what date the product is good for consumption.

Next to the barcode is the batch code. This service information will tell you until what day, month and year the product is good for.

How to make potato starch at home

Potato starch is easy to make from potatoes that have been peeled first. Afterwards it is crushed using a meat grinder or grater. Proportions: 2 liters of water will require 1 kg of potatoes. The prepared base is mixed with water, then strained and left for 2-3 hours.

After the specified time, the settling stages follow:

Drain off the aqueous phase, leaving sediment at the bottom of the container.
Pour a small amount of water and leave again for 2-3 hours.
Repeat draining the water and letting it sit until the water becomes clear.
After the last drain, place the remaining residue from the bottom on a cloth and dry.

The dry residue will be starch, which can be used further. For example, for making paste. For 100 g of substance you will need 1 liter of water.

You can easily weigh out the amount; one tablespoon contains 33 g (1 teaspoon contains about 10 g).

Receipt steps:

Pour water into a saucepan and place on the stove.
When the water warms up a little, take about 5-6 tablespoons of water.
Dilute in warm selected water.
After boiling, add the diluted solution slowly with constant stirring.
Stir the lumps and leave at room temperature.

The finished mixture can be used for household purposes, for example, as wallpaper glue.

Gorloder: boiled recipe, canning

For preservation, you can use the following recipe.

Interesting: Is it possible to infuse tincture in plastic bottles?

tomatoes - two and a half kilograms;
apples - half a kilo;
sweet pepper - half a kilo;
garlic – one hundred and twenty grams;
dill - fifty grams;
vinegar - two large spoons;
hot pepper – one hundred grams;
parsley - fifty grams;
sunflower oil - one glass;
black pepper and salt to taste.

Sterilize and heat the container before storing.
Wash vegetables under running water.
Remove seeds and core from peppers and apples.
Cut the tomatoes into cubes.
Grind the remaining ingredients in a blender or meat grinder.

Pour the resulting mass into a container, add vinegar, spices and vegetable oil. Place the pan over medium heat and cook for at least 2 hours. Dill and parsley can also be ground in a blender or finely chopped, then added to the sauce before the end of cooking.

The hot seasoning is poured into jars and rolled up.

Jars can be stored in a pantry or basement.

Can I use it after the deadline?

Starch is used in cooking to prepare porridges, jelly, ketchup, gravy and other dishes. If the housewife discovers that the period has expired, then she must visually assess the quality. If no bugs, larvae, midges, lumps, foreign colors or smells are found in it, then this starch can be completely safe to use. If stored properly, the starch product can be safely used for another 2-4 months after the expiration date.

Starch is obtained from potato raw materials. It is a complex carbohydrate essential for the proper functioning of the human body. Housewives of several generations use starch when preparing dishes and consider it a “lifesaver.” To ensure that the product does not lose its beneficial properties, it should be stored correctly. Every housewife should remember the rules for storing starch and follow them.

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Useful properties of canned peas

It just brought the cocoa butter to the surface and crystallized. Dry cookies can also be stored for a long time, but it is better to avoid all products with cream and cottage cheese.

The fact that the eggs have spoiled becomes clear immediately - by the unbearable aroma. In addition, it happens that the egg is infected with salmonella - it does not manifest itself in any way. Therefore, before eating, eggs should still be heat-treated, and to prepare cream for tiramisu (a popular Italian dessert), it is better to choose the freshest eggs from “proven” chickens.

We told you about products whose quality and preparation technology clearly allow them to be stored longer than expected.

BOMBAGE should not be eaten under any circumstances, even if the canned food is not expired! When canned food is fermented without access to air, toxic toxins are released.

How long is it and what does it depend on?

The period is 24 months. Depends on the quality of raw materials, potato variety, production technology, packaging, and transportation. Starch powder is very hygroscopic, so it must be stored in a moisture-proof bag.

The higher the quality of the raw materials, the better the finished product and the longer it will be able to retain its original properties.

For potato and corn

The quality of potato starch is assessed according to GOST R 53876-2010, corn starch - GOST 32159-2013. The shelf life of potato and corn starch is 24 months from the production date.

After opening the package

Once the package is opened, the period does not expire, and storage directly depends on compliance with the storage rules for this product. Housewives store opened packages for several months, and it does not lose its properties. In this case, it is important to follow the rules:

close the package tightly with a clothespin or household rubber band;
do not allow opened packaging to come into contact with moisture;
do not keep it near substances with a strong odor;
avoid contact with powders infested with pests;
Do regular cleaning and ventilation of kitchen cabinets.

What is healthier: corn starch or potato starch?

There is no clear answer to this question, since both compounds are enriched with nutrients. Their effect on the body can improve the functioning of the immune system, provide energy and reduce blood sugar.

Both types are interchangeable, which makes it easier to use starch in the kitchen, at home or when preparing food. It is recommended to take into account that the density of the finished product when taking a potato compound is greater. Therefore, they take it 2 times less.

Gluten-free dieters should be aware that cornstarch contains gluten (a group of proteins found in the starch of grains). Also known as gluten. These compounds cause allergies in some people, so their diet is based on gluten-free products. The starch component made from potatoes does not contain these substances.

Canned green peas (calorie content, beneficial properties of the product)

As for meat, canned food (and jars) from state reserves, made using old technologies, can be stored for years in special storage facilities, although they are not kept there for more than two years, they are replaced with fresh ones, and the old ones are sent for retail sale. Officially, the shelf life of such canned meat is 3 years, but they can remain in a special storage facility for five years without compromising quality.

And the young people sniffed the jar for a long time until they came to the general opinion that the red mass had not rotted and was edible. But to reassure us, they also examined the inside of the jar, checking whether the rust had eaten through the metal. And then they divided the jar into equal parts and handed Isha’s share.

Studies of nutritional value indicators show that all essential nutrients are preserved in canned food. Of course, during sterilization, some vitamins are destroyed (as in the process of preparing food from fresh products). But when stored without access to oxygen - in a closed tin can - their losses are already insignificant.

They should not be given to children either. It is also worth mentioning canned smoked fish - sprats. Smoking produces carcinogenic compounds such as benzo(a)pyrene. However, all sprat samples tested by Roskontrol did not contain it.

Use in everyday life

In the 20th century, potato starch was used to make wallpaper glue, whiten clothes, and cook dishes. In everyday life, housewives often boiled bed linen to give it a stable shape and hardness. Later the process became irrelevant.

It was used as wallpaper glue due to the formation of a dense paste that is not harmful to paper and premises.

But it should only be used for paper webs, since modern solutions require more “sticky” compositions.