Yogurt is a type of fermented milk product. The variety of tastes, the presence of beneficial bacteria that restore the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and improve the intestinal microflora make this product popular. In pursuit of brands that are full of TV screens, people rarely think about the shelf life of yogurt. What determines the lifespan of a fermented milk product? What expiration date of yogurt indicated on the packaging will reveal the secrets of its quality? The information in the article will help answer these and other questions.
Composition of yogurt
The basis of the fermented milk product is milk or cream, to which a starter enriched with beneficial bacteria is added. The yogurt production technology is based on several types of microorganisms. The composition includes thermophilic streptococcus, Bulgarian and acidophilus bacilli, bifidobacteria, which impart beneficial properties to the future drink. Bacteria convert lactose into lactic acid, which gives the final product a mild taste. As yogurt expires, the number of beneficial bacteria decreases. Manufacturers are trying to prolong the life of microorganisms with the help of preservatives.
Varieties
When buying a fermented milk product in a store, people often analyze the expiration date of the yogurt. There are different time intervals. Some types of fermented milk products are stored for no more than 5 days, others can stand on a shelf in the refrigerator for a whole month. What determines the shelf life of drinking yogurt? How not to make a mistake with your choice and not fall for the tricks of manufacturers? The answer is simple: determine the type of product.
Dairy production in our country does not stand still. It is constantly evolving. Manufacturers are producing new types of fermented milk drinks. Among these are natural, fruit and flavored. Each has a special composition that affects its service life.
Optimal shelf life
The first thing you need to remember: cottage cheese is one of the most perishable types of food, which is strongly not recommended for long-term storage. After just a short time, it loses its excellent taste, acquiring an unpleasant bitterness.
In general, the shelf life of cottage cheese in the refrigerator is determined by two important factors:
- Continuous life processes of bacteria in the product.
- Activity of enzymes and microflora.
I cannot help but note that even the type of packaging significantly affects the shelf life of a given product.
In a refrigerator
With the advent of the refrigerator, storing fermented milk ingredients has become much easier and more reliable.
Did you know that in ancient times, when a refrigerator was not part of the mandatory household appliances, fermented milk products were stored by wrapping them in a pre-moistened clean cloth? After this, the food was placed in a cool, dry place where the temperature did not exceed 15 degrees.
Nowadays, food storage conditions are much simpler, and you can find out how long to store cottage cheese in the refrigerator by the power of the unit itself.
There are two options here:
- If you purchased fresh cottage cheese, you can store it for exactly 2 days. The main thing is that the temperature does not exceed 8 degrees, the optimal indicator is 2-6 ° C;
- If you have a powerful refrigerator that freezes food quite strongly, the shelf life automatically doubles to 4 days.
Before you start storing food in the refrigerator, do not forget about simple but important manipulations
There are also several nuances that any housewife would do well to know about.
- Before placing the cottage cheese on the refrigerator shelf, wrap it in foil or parchment paper.
- An excellent option would be to place it in an enamel bowl, into which you should also add a few pieces of refined sugar. This way you can achieve the maximum shelf life for this type of food.
- Having learned how to store cottage cheese in the refrigerator and having kept it for half the allotted time, it is better to heat treat the remaining product. What I mean is that you can use them to make casseroles, dumplings or cheesecakes.
After a day of storage, the cottage cheese can be used as a filling for dumplings
In the freezer
How long open cottage cheese is stored in the refrigerator, or rather in the freezer, again depends on the temperature existing in it.
If you want to preserve the perfect appearance of the product for as long as possible and not be afraid of food poisoning, the freezer is perfect.
- If the temperature in the chamber reaches -35 degrees, the cottage cheese can be stored for about one to two months. Agree, it is very convenient to always have such a valuable and useful product on hand.
- At temperatures of -12 - -18 degrees, the storage time is significantly reduced, but still far exceeds the period of storage in the refrigerator. In such a freezer the product can be stored for about two weeks.
- If the temperature of the freezer ranges from -2 to 0 degrees, you can keep such a healthy delicacy in it for 6 days.
Cottage cheese is stored in the freezer longer, but loses most of its beneficial properties.
I’ll tell you a little secret of how to extend the shelf life of your favorite treat with your own hands. Place a regular paper towel on the bottom of a plastic food container and fill it with crumbled cottage cheese. Cover the container tightly with a lid and immediately place it in the freezer.
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Natural
Natural cow's milk and sourdough are used as raw materials for the preparation of this type of fermented milk drink. No additives, flavorings or thickeners are used in production. The absence of these components affects the storage conditions of the drink. The shelf life of natural yogurt according to GOST does not exceed 7 days. But manufacturers usually indicate on the packaging a time interval of 14 days. There is no need to talk about the benefits of such a natural product, since after the expiration date the number of beneficial microorganisms decreases.
Fruit
This type of yogurt, in addition to the main ingredients, includes pieces of canned fruit or berries. They give the fermented milk drink a rich taste. According to GOST, fruit and berry filler should not account for more than 30% of the volume of the entire product. This type of drink, enriched with beneficial bacteria, can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 10 days, and in the freezer for 2 months.
Where to store milk after pumping
After expressing, the container with milk is tightly closed. Next you need to decide where you can put it. It all depends on how long you plan to store it.
If you want to keep the milk untouched indefinitely, then freezing it is the best option.
It is important to know that only fresh milk that you have recently expressed can be placed in the freezer. Be sure to let it sit in the room for several hours until it cools completely in a closed bottle.
After this, without opening the container, carefully place it in the freezer. Of course, fewer vitamins remain in a frozen product, but it is still better than artificial pharmaceutical mixtures. In the case when a portion of mother's milk is planned to be used within 2-3 days, you can keep the container in the refrigerator. When chilled but not frozen, the product retains the maximum amount of beneficial properties. In this case, breast milk in the refrigerator should be stored on the shelf, and not on the door. If a child drinks a fresh product in one day, then you should not put it in the refrigerator or freezer. Keep the product in the room, in a special container that is tightly closed. The milk will not spoil in a few hours.
You should never rely on your memory - label the milk container when it has been filled and left for storage. This will help you remember how long the product has been in the refrigerator or freezer, and whether its expiration date has expired.
Storage of the product should be in portions: one container - one serving. This way you will not violate the sterility of milk storage jars.
Flavored
Unlike its previous brother, this type does not contain natural fruits and berries. Their presence is imitated by manufacturers using flavoring agents. There are identical and natural flavor enhancers. The composition of the finished product includes thickeners (pectin, gelatin, starch), granulated sugar, emulsifiers and preservatives that prolong the life of beneficial bacteria. The shelf life of fermented milk flavored drinks varies from 10 days to several months. Nutritionists argue about the benefits of such yogurt for human health, it all depends on the specific representative.
Popularity of “Miracle” yogurt
The product appeared on the Russian market in 1998. The range included not only yoghurts, but also other dairy products, as well as natural juices. Two Russian entrepreneurs, Sergey Plastilin and Mikhail Dubinin, successfully picked up the changing taste preferences of their compatriots. Until the 1990s, the market was oriented towards Western manufacturers, but the fashion for everything European gradually passed. Consumer demand began to fall for natural and domestic fermented milk drinks without dyes and additives. The new brand “Miracle” came in handy. The growth in popularity was facilitated by the stable high quality of fermented milk products, assortment of flavors, and accessibility to buyers.
"Miracle" composition
The basis of drinking yoghurt “Miracle” includes milk, pasteurized fruit filler, sugar, stabilizer, starter culture in the form of acidophilus bacillus and pure cultures of lactic acid bacteria. When reading the list of ingredients on the packaging, buyers often come across E-1442, which is part of the filler. This dietary supplement goes by the scary name of hydroxypropylene starch phosphate. In fact, it is a common stabilizer that is used in the production of many dairy products. Its action helps extend the life of the fermented milk drink and guarantees the preservation of a number of useful substances.
Real product
So, when you come to any store and take a package of dairy product from the counter, the first thing you need to pay attention to is the composition. In most cases, in addition to reconstituted, normalized and powdered milk, the composition will also contain various food additives, dyes, and flavors.
Immediately doubt creeps in - is this yogurt really healthy?
As already mentioned, the products in question must be fresh, however, in addition to this, they must also be alive. Indeed, yogurt is made alive thanks to the bacteria present in it. If they are active, then the products will be alive. Ideally, the presence of such crops is indicated on the packaging. These are mainly Bifidus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, and Lactobacillus acidophilus may also be present.
Moreover, the last named bacterium is not an obligatory component of real yogurt, but it is worth noting that it is it that has the most beneficial effect on the human intestines. Therefore, when purchasing these products, it is better to look for a mention of this microculture on the packaging. On the other hand, Lactobacillus bulgaricus must be present in a real live dairy product.
Unscrupulous manufacturers of fermented dairy products are trying in every way to deceive their customers. Sometimes they even get sophisticated in describing the composition of products. To attract more customers, and at the same time sell their product without live bacteria, they can write on the packaging that the basis is live lactobacilli.
A miracle will happen if they are found in such a product. It should be understood that products with such a base will not be real and useful. Only those that contain living microorganisms are considered nutritious and beneficial to health.
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Homemade or store bought?
Consumers of fermented milk products argue about the benefits of homemade yogurt. The controversy revolves around the composition and manufacturing technology of the product. Homemade drink preparation is based on milk and sourdough, as well as the addition of natural fruits and berries. The absence of preservatives, dyes, and stabilizers indicates the benefits of the finished product. But can you call it yogurt?
The technology for industrial production of yogurt is based on pasteurization of milk, which helps preserve the number of whey bacteria. For these purposes, manufacturing companies use raw materials enriched with calcium, vitamins, and protein. Dairies create optimal conditions for the growth of the starter culture.
The homemade drink is more like yogurt. In the process of boiling milk, the amount of useful substances is gradually reduced, and not all creators can ensure that the raw material maintains a constant temperature of 40 degrees. The finished fermented milk product should be consumed immediately after preparation. The shelf life of homemade yogurt in the refrigerator does not exceed 3 days.
Methods for making yogurt at home:
Yogurt maker
The ripening process takes 5-8 hours. But your personal time will need about ten minutes in total. Boil the milk, wait until it cools to approximately 37 degrees (at high temperatures the bacteria die, but at cold temperatures they do not ferment), add the starter. If the starter is in a jar, then add 2/3 water or milk to it, shake well until it dissolves, and then pour into the milk. Be sure to follow the proportions - for 1 liter of milk, 1 serving of starter. Now pour the milk into jars (preferably through a strainer so that no foam or lumps get in). Place the jars in the yogurt maker and turn on the “On” button. After the specified time has passed, or when you see that the yogurt has already fermented, close the jars with lids and put them in the refrigerator. This completes your mission in the process of making homemade yogurt. Within an hour, the yogurt will cool down and be ready to eat. The consistency of homemade yogurt is much thicker than store-bought yogurt.
Thermos
The cooking process is the same as in a yogurt maker. Only milk with diluted starter is poured not into jars, but into a thermos. He is then wrapped up and placed in a warm place. The cooking temperature and time must be followed according to the instructions. Then you can pour it into one jar or directly into portioned jars (it’s good to use baby food jars). And we also put it in the refrigerator. Yogurts can be stored for no more than 5 days. This does not mean that after these 5 days your yogurt will become moldy, no. It’s just that bacteria live for 5 days, and every day there are fewer and fewer of them. And after 5 days, yogurt becomes simply useless.
Multicooker
Recipe for a multicooker without the “yogurt” mode. Boil the milk and wait until it cools to a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius. After this, you can add the starter to the milk according to the instructions for it.
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Pour the resulting mixture into small jars (baby food containers). In order for the yogurt to reach the required maturity, place the open jars in water, which should reach the “hangers” themselves, and turn on the heating mode in the multicooker. You can put a towel on the bottom. How quickly the milk sours will depend on the quality of the added cultures, so the yogurt will need to be checked periodically. So, if it thickens, you can turn off the multicooker. As a rule, cooking takes 1.5-2 hours. After turning off, the yogurt should be left in the multicooker for 5-6 hours (some housewives leave it overnight, but in this case there is a risk of acquiring excessive acid). Jars of ready-made yogurt, as soon as they are taken out of the multicooker, are immediately sent to the refrigerator, covered with lids.
Restart
This means that you can not use dry starter every time you make yogurt, but take the yogurt you have already prepared and transfer it to milk. It is necessary to mix it well so that there are no lumps. And then everything is the same. For 1 liter of milk you need about 30-50 ml of ready-made yogurt. And remember the timing, you should re-ferment within these 5 days, otherwise the benefits of yogurt will be lost. You can re-ferment several times. So, homemade yoghurts are not only healthy, but also beneficial for the family budget. In order to obtain a high-quality product, it is imperative to maintain hygiene. Hands must be washed and dishes clean. Before boiling the milk, you can boil clean water in a saucepan. Yogurt jars should also be doused with boiling water, and if yogurt is given to a small child, it is better to sterilize them. This also applies to the spoon you will use to stir and the ladle. For owners of dishwashers, there is no such headache - there is no need to doubt the cleanliness of the dishes, especially since the dishes are washed at high temperatures.
So, yogurts can be made in a slow cooker, in a yogurt maker and in a thermos. If you carefully read the topics in the Yu-Mom forum, it turns out that a yogurt maker is not such a necessary device. Many complain that they bought it in vain. Still, kitchen appliances, excluding the most standard and necessary ones, require their share of fanaticism. When choosing a juicer, deep fryer, fondue maker, steamer or yogurt maker, rely only on your own feelings, intuition, and self-knowledge. Will you definitely be fiddling with jars and washing the new unit? And the yogurt maker will take its rightful place in your kitchen, and will not gradually irritate you and hide shyly in a dark corner of the closet? Then hurry to the store!
Recommendations for storing fermented milk products
A number of tips will help extend the shelf life of yogurt:
- It is recommended to store the natural product only in the refrigerator.
- Thawing and re-freezing yogurt should be avoided. This temperature fluctuation affects the consistency and taste.
- When choosing yogurt, you should give preference to glass packaging. Fermented milk products in plastic or cardboard boxes spoil faster.
- The presence of preservatives in the drink indicates the possibility of storage at room temperature, but in the absence of nearby heat sources.
- The expiration date of yogurt indicated on the labels is valid only if the packaging is intact. Opened product is stored for 24 hours.
Surely these tips will help you consume only high-quality products.
How can you tell if yogurt has gone bad and is unusable?
Intuitively and “by eye” you will understand if the yogurt has gone bad. Yogurt contains whey with very beneficial substances. This is a liquid on the surface of the consistency and it is in very small quantities, which in itself is completely normal. But an increased amount of liquid surface and when you get a whole “puddle” or its frozen texture near the bottom of the container are the first signs of spoilage in the yogurt.
The final signal that your yogurt has truly gone bad is the formation of mold.
Live bacterial cultures in yogurt act as preservatives, but as soon as microparticles of the cultures begin to die, the process of mold formation begins.
Yogurt comes in numerous flavors and varieties such as:
Pizza
As with cooked meat and poultry, pizza can usually be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Just wrap the already cooled pieces tightly in baking paper to preserve the taste, or better yet, in cling film so that the pizza does not smell of the food surrounding it. Heat in a frying pan, covering with foil as a lid. In the oven, the pizza will become drier and may even burn around the edges.
