Best before date of cooked dairy
I am planning on making a cooked white chocolate sauce, sealing it in a bottle while hot, and selling it in my shop. It contains dairy, and so I am wanting to work out the best before date. My questions are:1. does cooking and sealing make dairy products last for longer, if so, how much longer? 2. Do I just take the earliest best before date of the dairy products that it contains as the best before date, and advise to refridgerate after opening? But this does not take in to account the fact that it is cooked and sealed. Thank you
Best Answer
There is no way to safely can dairy products to be shelf stable, without using industrial equipment and processes. If you plan on refrigerating it, the best by date on the dairy you use should be good. You need to check with your local health department for specific requirements.
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Can you cook with milk about to expire?
You have either a "Best before" or a "Use by" date. If it's an unopened pack with a "Best before" date, the milk should still be perfectly safe even quite some time after that date (it's sterilised or UHT treated) in the unopened package.How long is milk good for cooking after expiration date?
While there are no set recommendations, most research suggests that as long as it's been stored properly, unopened milk generally stays good for 5\u20137 days past its listed date, while opened milk lasts at least 2\u20133 days past this date (3, 8 , 9).Can you use out of date cream in cooking?
Discard any cream with mold or an off odor. When in doubt, throw it out. Ultra-pasteurized cream may have a much longer expiration date.How long does it take dairy to expire?
We decided to get to the bottom of this conundrum. According to Eat By Date, once opened, all milk lasts 4-7 days past its printed date, if refrigerated. If unopened, whole milk lasts 5-7 days, reduced-fat and skim milk last 7 days and non-fat and lactose-free milk last 7-10 days past its printed date, if refrigerated.Best before dates: How supermarkets tamper with your food (CBC Marketplace)
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Answer 2
The answer to your questions is 1) no, and 2) no.
First, you cannot make shelf stable dairy products with canning, as Debbie M. explained in her answer. And even if you could, that would refer to a specific recipe known to create a shelf stable product, which has been tested to not develop any harmful pathogens, not to a recipe thought up at home.
Second, an expiry date always refers to the product you are using in its original state and packaging, not to a mixture made with that product. Food safety is achieved by removing something that bacteria need to grow, and when you make a mixture, you are frequently adding back exactly what your bacteria needed! For example, pure water is shelf stable because it has no energy for microorganisms to eat, and raisins are also shelf stable, because they have no water for microorganisms to survive in, but if you rehydrate raisins in water, they will spoil soon at room temperature. So, you can never assume that you can calculate expiry dates by taking the shortest expiry date in a product in a mixture.
There is also no other way to calculate expiry dates. You will need a food technology expert to tell you (and probably empirically measure) the longevity of your recipe. Before pursuing this path, make sure 1) that your local authorities will allow you to sell it under these circumstances, 2) that you can actually purchase such a service as a small business, and 3) that it will not cost more than you can make back from sales. Each of the three conditions is rather unlikely to be met.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Anna Shvets, Anna Shvets, Sebastian Coman Photography, Mike Esparza