How Long Does Almond Milk Stay Fresh? A Complete Guide
Wondering how long almond milk stays fresh after opening? Are you a seasoned almond milk drinker? Or are you just starting to explore dairy alternatives? Either way, knowing its shelf life is crucial to enjoying it at its best.
This is a comprehensive guide. We’ll dive into the factors that affect almond milk freshness. We’ll cover storage and expiration dates. By the end of this article, you’ll have all the tips and tricks you need to keep your almond milk fresh and delicious for as long as possible.
How Long Is Almond Milk Good For?
Unpackaged or homemade almond milk, whether fresh or pasteurized, has a limited shelf life. At room temperature, it typically lasts only a few hours, while under refrigerated conditions (4°C–5°C), it can stay fresh for approximately 2–3 days.
In contrast, pasteurized almond milk is stable for longer. It is aseptically packaged. When stored in refrigerated conditions, it can maintain its quality for around 12–30 days.
Almond milk undergoes ultra-pasteurization and aseptic packaging. This significantly extends its shelf life. When stored at room temperature, it can remain suitable for consumption for approximately 90–170 days.
Many factors affect how long almond milk lasts. These include the quality of the raw materials. Also, the way it is made, the emulsion’s stability, and any heating or treatments.
The packaging method used has a big impact. So does the storage temperature kept throughout its life.
By combining water with powdered or blended almonds, almond milk is a colloidal dispersion.
The typical process involves soaking and grinding the almonds in an excess of water. After filtration, a milky white liquid is obtained, with the concentration of solids varying based on the ratio of nuts to water.
In commercial processing, the white liquid undergoes more steps. These steps boost its stability and shelf life.
High-pressure homogenization is commonly employed to achieve a uniform texture and prevent separation. Subsequently, pasteurization is carried out to ensure the product’s safety and extend its shelf life.
Using new process tech in almond milk production has brought several benefits. These include better emulsion stability. They also lead to smaller particles and kill enzymes that cause off-flavors. It has also cut the amount of microbes.
These innovative techniques can improve almond milk. They can improve the product’s stability. These advancements extend the shelf life of almond milk. They work when combined with good packaging methods.
Read: Can You Substitute Almond Milk for Heavy Cream in Your Recipes?
How to Store Almond Milk?
Almond milk can be stored similarly to oat and soy milk, whether in unrefrigerated or refrigerated form. When dealing with unrefrigerated almond milk, it is advisable to handle it as you would unrefrigerated coconut milk or dairy milk.
For unopened cartons of unrefrigerated almond milk, store them in a cool and dark place. Keep them away from heat sources like direct sunlight or stovetops. Suitable storage options include pantry or kitchen cabinets.
Once the carton of almond milk is opened, it should be consistently refrigerated with a tightly sealed container. Refrigeration is essential for maintaining the freshness and quality of almond milk.
However, it is important to note that keeping the almond milk carton in the fridge door is not ideal. This area has greater temperature changes.
Homemade almond milk has no preservatives. You should store it in the fridge to keep it from spoiling. Ensure it remains refrigerated at all times to maintain its freshness and prevent the growth of harmful bacteria.
Freezing almond milk can extend its shelf life. But, note that its texture may change when it thaws. During defrosting, almond milk’s liquid and milk solids can separate. This leaves it with a slightly changed consistency.
The thawed almond milk may not be ideal for drinking or in frozen desserts. But, it is still good for cooking and baking. Its altered texture should not deter its use in recipes, as the flavor and functionality of almond milk can still be preserved.
Vegetable milks, like almond milk, are complex. They are made of dispersed oil droplets, solid particles from raw materials, proteins, and starch granules.
The presence of these components can pose challenges in maintaining product stability. Issues like sedimentation and creaming may arise. They could harm the quality of food products that use almond milk.
How to Tell if the Almond Milk Has Gone Bad?
If you smell a sour or rancid odor, notice a clumpy texture, or see mold or discolorations, the almond milk has spoiled. A swollen carton also shows spoilage. Do not drink it.
Almond milk provides a good place for both spoilage and harmful microorganisms to grow.
Also, it has high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids. This makes almond milk prone to rancidity from oxidation and hydrolysis. This can lead to the development of undesirable volatile compounds and off-flavors.
So, be careful when consuming almond milk. It must be within its shelf life or be spoiled.
Typical vegetable milk processing facilities use heat to make the milk safe. They pasteurize and use ultra-high temperature treatment to kill or remove microbes.
Still, we take great care to optimize the time-temperature parameters. This ensures that the vital phytonutrients in the milk stay intact. This enables effective microbial control while preserving the nutritional integrity of the product.
Can You Use Almond Milk After the Expiration Date?
The “best by” or “best before” date printed on almond milk cartons primarily serves as an indicator of the product’s quality rather than its safety. Therefore, almond milk does not necessarily spoil immediately after reaching its best before date.
The stability of their emulsion has a big impact on the shelf life of colloidal foods like almond milk. Almond milk is an oil-in-water emulsion. It has a dispersed phase with complex protein dispersions and oil droplets.
Emulsions are inherently unstable. Over time, they are susceptible to deterioration from many mechanisms.
These mechanisms include creaming (separation of liquid and solid particles). They also include flocculation (clustering of particles), coalescence (merging of droplets), and phase inversion (change in emulsion structure).
What Are the Risks of Drinking Spoiled Almond Milk?
Almond milk is nutrient-rich. It provides a good place for spoilage and harmful microorganisms to grow.
Spoiled almond milk can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Or, a mix of these issues.
Mycotoxins, which are toxins that molds produce and can contaminate almond milk, frequently cause such symptoms.
Conclusion
In the above text, we answered the question,” can you freeze silk almond milk?” We also discussed how to freeze the silk almond milk properly. We also discussed the health benefits of almond milk along with the factors responsible for the spoilage of silk almond milk.
