What Happens If You Drink Spoiled Milk? Know Your Dairy Food Better!
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Do you know the results of consuming spoiled milk?
Today, we have various types and forms of milk, with different nutrients and fat content. Milk has been greatly associated with proteins, fats, and all rich nutrients required by humans. However, consuming it when it is spoiled or out of date might be dangerous.
Drinking spoiled milk should be avoided, especially if you have a sensitive stomach. Milk, once purchased, must not be kept beyond its sell-by date for more than five days, as it easily gets spoiled by that time.
Generally, it is OK to refrigerate it for seven days, but after five days, it often loses its freshness, and its taste will go bad. Various dairy products have different shelf-lives.
Buttermilk can be refrigerated for about two full weeks, while sour cream can be kept for up to three weeks; however, it rarely freezes well. It is always better to use dairy products while they are safe to drink.
Milk generally spoils because of bacteria, compromising its flavor, texture, and quality.
Also, once you open a milk carton, its shelf lives decreases as it gets exposed to bacteria which can multiply over time, causing the milk to go bad. Nowadays, milk has been pasteurized.
This is the process where milk has been heated or warmed for several hours at a certain temperature to kill bacteria. But the truth is that pasteurized milk is not fully bacteria-free, especially if it's sweetened milk.
The presence of sugar in milk, known as lactose, leads to the multiplication of bacteria. Drinking it when it is spoiled can cause food poisoning.
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What symptoms happen if you drink spoiled milk?
Taking a sip of spoiled milk can cause several problems. You must always check if it's safe to drink because the after-effects are quite bad.
During grocery shopping, ensure that you check the sell-by date carefully on the milk carton, and make sure it is at least five days away from the current date. It should also not be past its date of expiration. Drinking spoiled milk or expired milk can lead to digestive issues.
Even if it is kept in the fridge, drinking spoiled or expired milk can cause food poisoning, especially if you are planning to have a full glass. This can lead to several harmful issues like diarrhea, cramping, vomiting, nausea, and discomfort in your body.
It is greatly harmful to your stomach, especially for individuals who are lactose intolerant.
If your symptoms get worst, consult a doctor. There have been no known records of death from consuming spoiled milk, but it can be quite deadly if a person is weak and proper care is not given to them.
What does spoiled milk taste like?
If you have accidentally sipped or had a drink of spoiled milk, you must be aware of how it smells and tastes. There are several signs to look out for to understand if milk is spoiled or safe for consumption.
When milk is spoiled, it smells and tastes unpleasant. The texture becomes chunky, slimy, and turns yellow in coloration. It is essential to check a milk carton when buying it to ensure that the expiry date has not passed.
The taste of fresh milk suddenly changes into sour milk with an acidic taste. All the bacteria multiplying in the milk result in this condition.
It will appear lumpy and taste very acidic and kind of sour. It may be slightly different from sour milk in taste, as they differ in terms of various factors.
Spoiled milk has generally been known as pasteurized milk, where the taste and smell turn bad because of increasing bacteria that survived the process of pasteurization.
Consuming spoiled milk can lead to diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal and digestive discomfort. The fact that it can also cause food poisoning and even kill an individual, especially if they are drinking it while they are ill, makes it best to consult a doctor.
Can milk be spoiled without smelling bad?
Sometimes, it can be difficult to work out if milk is fresh or spoiled because, in certain cases, milk may be spoiled without having a bad smell. It is common for spoiled milk to smell bad, but when it comes to odorless spoiled milk, there are several things to consider.
After buying milk, refrigerate it at a temperature between 38-45 F (3.33-7.22 C) in your fridge.
When your milk does not have any odor but has been kept in the fridge for more than five days, it is probably best to boil the milk. Sometimes, spoiled milk can be revealed when it comes in contact with heat.
When boiling, if you spot several huge lumps floating to the surface, it is probably spoiled, but if it does not have an odor, you can use it to make homemade cheese or curd.
The other way to check is to take a whiff or sniff of it. If no smell can be detected, take a small sip of the milk to test it.
Don't just pour yourself a glass straight away, as it can cause food poisoning.
If it tastes different or weird, pass on it, and if you cannot taste anything, begin to boil it. In cases where it smells unpleasant, it's better to throw it out.
How long does it take for milk to spoil?
Milk's safe consumption period depends on the type of milk you have bought.
Unopened milk can last for five to seven days; unopened skimmed or unfattened milk lasts for up to seven days; an unopened lactose-free, non-fat milk can generally last longer than the rest, that is 7-10 whole days. Also, opening milk constantly and leaving it outside the fridge can make it spoil faster.
Milk should not be kept outside of the fridge for longer than two hours.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 'What happens if you drink spoiled milk?
Know your dairy food better', then why not take a look at 'How does rain form? Raindrops and more, must know facts for kids' or 'How long do guppies live? Curious lifespan facts revealed for kids'?
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Bachelor of Arts specializing in English Literature
Akinwalere OlaleyeBachelor of Arts specializing in English Literature
As a highly motivated, detail-oriented, and energetic individual, Olaleye's expertise lies in administrative and management operations. With extensive knowledge as an Editor and Communications Analyst, Olaleye excels in editing, writing, and media relations. Her commitment to upholding professional ethics and driving organizational growth sets her apart. She has a bachelor's degree in English Literature from the University of Benin, Edo State.
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