Opened Sterilized Skim Milk

[John Talbott]

As I was leaving my apartment for ten days in the States, I realized that I had a half carton of sterilized skim milk in the frigo left and was wondering if it would last. Note: Last time I left for ten days it did fine. So I read the label (ah) that it would keep fresh unrefrigerated but if opened and refrigerated, should be consumed soon.

Questions: Was my last experience aberrant; does French sterilized milk, even if skim milk, keep longer than American pasteurized skim milk; and how long is that?

[Ptipois]

I don't know how long American sterilized milk is supposed to last, but French sterilized milk keeps for a long time unrefrigerated and unopened (check the sell-by date) and keeps like fresh milk once opened.

If the carton was more or less hermetically closed when you left, that would explain why your milk kept longer.

Edited March 3, 2008 by Ptipois (log)

[John Talbott]

I don't know how long American sterilized milk is supposed to last, but French sterilized milk keeps for a long time unrefrigerated and unopened (check the sell-by date) and keeps like fresh milk once opened.

If the carton was more or less hermetically closed when you left, that would explain why your milk kept longer.

←

Firstly, American milk, as you might recall, is pasteurized (Louis Pasteur, ironically, the man not the boulevard) at a lower temperature (71.7 °C), as I understand it - to better preserve the flavor, than sterilization (140-150 °C). And my last one was half full as well and opened for several days. In the US, skim milk does not "last/keep" as long as that with more fat.

[nibor]

There seems to be a lot of variation among people in how well they think milk "keeps". I can't stand the taste of whole milk (in the US) two days after opening even if it has been refrigerated. One of my friends thinks it tastes fine for a week.

[Ptipois]

Oh, sorry John, I had missed the "pasteurized". American pasteurized milk, after opening, will keep just like french pasteurized milk: in my book, no more than three or four days. Sterilized (even opened) tends to keep longer.

[Dave Hatfield]

When we went shopping today we bought some containers of sterilized skim milk. In our case Grandlait packaged by Candia.

On the bottle it advises: After opening keep at less than +6C and preferably consume within 4 days.

I've got to assume that that is a very safe guideline. How much longer you can push that advice is hard to say.

Your 10 days has got to be pushing the envelope - hard.

[John Talbott]

Report - It was fine after 10 days.