These 7 ingredients have no shelf life and can be stored indefinitely?

Recently, an article circulated on the Internet, saying that 7 kinds of foods, including beans, dried fungi, rice flour, tangerine peel, dark chocolate, vanilla extract, and honey, have no "shelf life" and can be eaten even if they are stored for a long time.

Can food be stored indefinitely? Will it be better? Today I will talk about the preservation of food

Only packaged food has a shelf life

The term "shelf life" is commonly used on food packaging labels, and usually means that the quality of the food will not change significantly within a limited period of time during the shelf life

This standard also makes specific provisions for the shelf life of some foods

In other words, the shelf life is only available for prepackaged foods, not for non-packaged foods

The several foods listed in the article, beans, dried fungus, rice flour, tangerine peel, dark chocolate, vanilla extract, etc.

In the national standard, there are some foods exempted from the shelf life, including five categories: alcoholic beverages with an alcohol content of more than 10%; vinegar; edible salt; solid sugar; and MSG

Don't ignore the role of shelf life

Although not all foods have a "shelf life", this does not mean that food can be left freely and indefinitely, and it is unlikely that the longer the better

"Shelf life" refers to the final date when the food can be eaten, that is, the final shelf life of the food under normal conditions

In other words, the shelf life guarantees that the quality of the product within the marked time is the best, but the food that exceeds the shelf life, if the color, aroma, and taste does not change, is actually still edible

Moreover, most of the foods mentioned in the article are in open bulk, which is actually very easy to break and cannot be stored for a long time

For dark chocolate and vanilla extract, although it is not a big problem after two or three years, it will not taste good when it is damp, especially if it is exposed to oxygen, the fat will be oxidized, and it will even produce peculiar smells such as hala

As for honey, because of its high sugar content and high osmotic pressure, it is difficult for microorganisms to grow, so it can usually be kept for a long time

Therefore, it is definitely wrong to say that these foods "the longer they are, the better"

The following household food can be stored in this way

When storing different foods, different methods should be used, especially the following foods that are always available at home

vegetable

Vegetables are prone to lose nutrients such as vitamins, produce nitrite, and rot if they are stored for a long time.

fruit

Fruits generally need to be stored at a low temperature, and the shelf life is usually 3-5 days, and the longer ones are 7-10 days (such as apples, pears, etc.
)
.
When buying and storing fruits, try to choose those that are easy to preserve, such as pears, apples, citrus, etc.
You can store them separately in fresh-keeping bags and keep them in the cold, preferably not more than a week
.

Aquatic products, meat

Aquatic meat is easily attacked by bacteria, and it is usually kept in low-temperature refrigeration for no more than 3 days
.
When storing, it's best to cut them in advance, and then use fresh-keeping bags, fresh-keeping boxes, etc.
, to pack them into quantities that can be eaten at a time and put them in the refrigerator
.
If it is to be stored for a long time, it must be frozen
.

Staple food such as rice noodles

Rice, flour, beans and other raw staple foods are better to store, they are more afraid of moisture and insects
.
When storing, try to pack it in a fresh-keeping bag or a fresh-keeping box with good airtightness, and store it in a well-ventilated, cool and dry place
.
Eat as soon as possible after opening
.

milk

Room temperature milk with a long shelf life can be stored directly at room temperature.
Generally, it is not a big problem to leave it for a year or a half
.
Fresh milk (pasteurized milk) or yogurt needs to be kept refrigerated and has a short shelf life, usually no more than one week
.

drinks

Unopened packaged beverages, juices and beer can generally be stored outdoors and do not need to be stored in the refrigerator, but once opened, they must be refrigerated and consumed as soon as possible
.

Cooking oil

Edible oil is mainly afraid of oxidation.
When storing, try to prevent high temperature from the sun.
When storing, please keep it in a dark, cool and dry place
.
If you open it, you should finish it as soon as possible
.

Follow these 5 points and keep food safe

(1) Temporary food can be eaten

Temporary food in the supermarket is available for purchase
.
The pre-term food is still within the shelf life, and the taste, nutrition and safety indicators are all qualified.
There will be no safety issues and can be eaten normally
.
If you buy it home, eat it as soon as possible
.

(2) Your own food may not be thrown out after the expiry date

Expired food cannot be sold, and it is illegal to sell expired food
.
But I forgot to buy the food I bought home, and it has expired, so I don't have to throw it away
.
If there are no obvious problems, for example, jam and honey have no moldy or alcoholic taste, and the taste and texture are normal, they can be eaten
.

(3) Pay attention to store food as required

How long food can be stored has a lot to do with storage conditions
.
Generally speaking, the higher the storage temperature, the shorter the time the same food can be stored
.
For example, it can be stored for 12 months at minus 18°C, which is not equal to that at room temperature 25°C for such a long time
.
It is required to be sealed and stored for half a year.
If it is left open, it cannot be stored for that long
.
Therefore, always pay attention to keeping the food under the right conditions when storing food
.

(4) Food cannot be stored indefinitely

When buying and storing food on a daily basis, do not store too much for too long, and eat it as soon as possible
.

(5) If there is any abnormality, discard it as soon as possible

When buying food on a daily basis, you often buy bulk foods that do not have an expiration date.
Considering that it is generally difficult to accurately determine the shelf life of food, it is recommended that if you find obvious changes in food such as mildew, odor, insects, etc.
, try not to eat it.
Up
.

Wen/Ruan Guangfeng (Director of the Science and Technology Department of the Food and Nutrition Information Exchange Center)