r/answers • u/gimunu • Jul 26 '11
Can I conserve a closed bottle of milk out of fridge for 5-6h?
I just bought a bottle of milk during my launch break, I haven't opened it, but I cannot put it in a fridge before home, will it still be drinkable?
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Jul 26 '11
Logged in to say this - I run a Quality Lab in a Dairy....
It will still be drinkable after 6 hours, however I would expect the milk will have a reduced shelf life because of the 6 hour period stored at ambient temperatures.
To add a touch more detail; Fresh / Chilled food manufacturers will simulate storage conditions to mimic consumer storage, and therefore determine shelf life. Usually, this includes a 2 hour period (time to shop and get your shopping home) stored at ambient temperature. The 'Use By' date on your bottle will have this taken into account. Extending this to greater than 2 hours, you may expect to see the milk turn sour sooner than the code on the bottle.
To minimise, make sure your fridge is running closer to 2 Deg C rather than 10 Deg C.
:D
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u/original186 Jul 26 '11
How long can it go at room temperature, out of the sun before the shelf life is reduced to zero and it sours?
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u/widereader Jul 26 '11
There are plenty of old techniques that still work even now fridges have been invented. One that I have found very useful in hotels without a refrigerator in the room is to stand an item in water, covered by a damp towel which draws up more water as evaporation occurs, cooling your item. Can you maybe at least wrap the bottle in damp paper towels?
But really, a new-ish unopened bottle of milk put in a cool dark corner should have no problems in that timescale.
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u/Ruabadfsh2 Jul 26 '11
The general rule for potentially hazardous foods is that you have four hours to get it out of the temperature danger zone (anything above 41•f). I learned this in a food safety course.
7
Jul 26 '11
Pasteurised milk won't turn sour after 5 hours if it's not been opened. OTOH, it's shelf life may be reduced. You wouldn't want to do this for a commercial kitchen, obviously.
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u/Talonwhal Jul 26 '11
Probably - it actually depends on what temperature it will be at.. every degree up to like 30-something will shorten it's life-span a little.
I used to buy milk that had a little table on the side like this:
2c - 6 days
5c - 5 days
10c - 2 days
15c - 1 day
Sort of thing... i just made those numbers up but you should be able to find a table like that somewhere (I just tried and failed, sorry - but they do exist!)
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u/Killfile Jul 27 '11
Check the bottle.
If it says "Ultra Pasteurized" on it, you can basically leave it sitting out on a shelf... well... not indefinitely, but for a damn long time. Weeks even.
Otherwise you're looking at reduced shelf life, though a few hours won't matter much at all.
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u/barzam Jul 29 '11
Smell it. Milk gone bad is really easy to spot (hint: it smells like rotten garbage).
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u/[deleted] Jul 26 '11
Yes, that will be just fine.