Two questions

Discussion in 'General Science & Technology' started by devil's avocado, Dec 14, 2011.

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  1. devil's avocado

    devil's avocado Registered Member

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    Is expiry date (e.g. food, drugs) based on science?
    Can expiry date be calculated?
     
    devil's avocado, Dec 14, 2011
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  3. NMSquirrel

    NMSquirrel OCD ADHD THC IMO UR12 Valued Senior Member

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    yes..and no..
     
    NMSquirrel, Dec 15, 2011
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  5. scheherazade

    scheherazade Northern Horse Whisperer Valued Senior Member

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    The dates on most products help to determine the optimum quality or freshness but only if the product has been handled correctly at all stages. These dates are as much or more about inventory management as they are to satisfy customer demand for such information.

    Industry does spend a lot of money in testing it's products for quality and safety in order to retain consumer confidence. As far as an exact science for dating, there are too many variables for certainty, in my opinion, and I have been working in grocery retail for over 6 years.

     
    scheherazade, Dec 15, 2011
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  7. farther93

    farther93 Registered Senior Member

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    Well... I guess you'll have to go by the printed date on the box as well as your own judgment. If it looks/smells bad, chuck it out! I've eaten some hotdogs that were stored in the fridge for a year past the printed "best before" date and survived... I don't know if it's because they were still good...or if the preservatives in them are just so good (read: bad for the health) that they kept for that long. Or maybe my fridge is good.
     
    farther93, Dec 19, 2011
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  8. Fraggle Rocker

    Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    Most expiration dates mark a point beyond which the flavor or texture of the food is likely to begin deteriorating so that we might not enjoy eating it. But it will still be a while before it becomes unhealthy, possibly a long while. Food vacuum-packed in a still-intact well-sealed can, jar or bottle might very well still be wholesome and nutritious in twenty years or even longer, although it might not be very appetizing.

    My mother used to preserve fruit in vacuum-sealed jars and it seemed to last forever.

    Even without vacuum-packing, even without sealing at all, naturally preserved food (smoke, salt, pickling, dessication, etc.) may have a heroic shelf life. I've got some five year-old Romano cheese (extremely hard and dry) in my fridge that isn't even sealed, and it's just fine.

    Artificial preservatives can make food impervious to bacteria (which are not animals) and mold (which is fungus), but insects and other animals will still eat it if it's not well sealed.
     
    Fraggle Rocker, Dec 20, 2011
    #5
  9. Reiku

    Reiku Banned Banned

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    Most expiry dates can be subject to a few days more. The expiry date, if it went off exactly on that date, would be a very exact science.

    People have demonstrated that even the gut can eat off-products. Trust your eye's and your sense of smell on a product. If it looks and smells off, then don't eat it. But equally, products are given expiry dates to be safe, giving a few days more to be eaten.

    However, do not trust eggs or meats, incase of harmful bacteria!
     
    Reiku, Dec 20, 2011
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  10. Reiku

    Reiku Banned Banned

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    Also, bread which is off by a few days and starting to smell can be toasted or made into a bread and butter pudding. mmmmm
     
    Reiku, Dec 20, 2011
    #7
  11. Fraggle Rocker

    Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    Eggs are good for about two months, and contrary to U.S. practice, they do not require refrigeration. In eight weeks they may change from Grade AA to Grade A, but there's nothing wrong with them health-wise.

    When I was a kid we had laying hens out in the middle of the freakin' desert where it was 105 degrees (40C) and nobody ever put their eggs in the fridge.

    Raw meat can of course accumulate bacteria. But if you're planning on cooking it (and not just "medium rare") the cooking will kill everything that was not put there deliberately by a terrorist. Use a thermometer and get the internal temperature up to 160F/70C and you'll be fine.

    If you're going to eat your eggs raw the major risk is in their touching the shell on their way out.
     
    Fraggle Rocker, Dec 20, 2011
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  12. Reiku

    Reiku Banned Banned

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    my gran used to eat eggs raw. It nearly made me boke frag

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    Reiku, Dec 20, 2011
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  13. Fraggle Rocker

    Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    Sly Stallone popularized it briefly in "Rocky," filling a blender with them and drinking them every morning before his run. Today Americans only consume raw eggs in certain cocktails, or the adventurous few who eat steak tartare. In which case I'd estimate a higher risk of bacteria in the raw meat than in the raw eggs--assuming the shells have been thoroughly washed before cracking.

    You must be a Scot. I had to look up "boke."
     
    Fraggle Rocker, Dec 20, 2011
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  14. Reiku

    Reiku Banned Banned

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    Yes I am a scot lol

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    Reiku, Dec 20, 2011
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  15. Reiku

    Reiku Banned Banned

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    Is egg nog made from raw eggs?
     
    Reiku, Dec 20, 2011
    #12
  16. Fraggle Rocker

    Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    Yes. But the alcohol is a pretty good disinfectant so I never worry about it. The non-alcoholic stuff you buy in cartons in the supermarket is somehow pasteurized.
     
    Fraggle Rocker, Dec 20, 2011
    #13
  17. Reiku

    Reiku Banned Banned

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    ahhhhh!
     
    Reiku, Dec 20, 2011
    #14
  18. Boris2

    Boris2 Valued Senior Member

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    some forms of bacteria produce toxins that no amount of cooking will rid the product of. you may not even be able to smell or taste these.
     
    Boris2, Dec 20, 2011
    #15
  19. adoucette

    adoucette Caca Occurs Valued Senior Member

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    That's fine if you eat your eggs pretty quickly, but if you want your eggs to last for a while and stay good tasting then by all means refrigerate them.

    They will be good many months after eggs kept at room temperature are inedible.

    http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/1977-11-01/Fresh-Eggs.aspx?page=4#ixzz1h78jbAvt
     
    adoucette, Dec 20, 2011
    #16
  20. Cifo

    Cifo Day destroys the night, Registered Senior Member

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    I volunteered repeatedly at a major food bank, dealing exclusively with room temp packaged foods (boxes of pasta, canned goods, bottled water, etc), and I remember them telling us that foods a few months (I don't remember exactly how many ... maybe 3,4, or 6) past the "expired" date was still okay to ship to food pantries and soup kitchens (the consumers of which included elderly, sick, etc) — so if it's good for them, it's good for everyone. This was at a big name food bank, so I consider their judgment legit.
     
    Cifo, Dec 20, 2011
    #17
  21. Trippy

    Trippy ALEA IACTA EST Staff Member

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    IIRC the use-by date on drugs represents the point where it falls below 90% effectivness.
     
    Trippy, Dec 20, 2011
    #18
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