10/02/2024 21:09 – UPDATED 10/02/2024 21:09
Validity period of flour can be surprisingly short, and the signs of deterioration they can be difficult to detect with the naked eye. Find out from this material everything you need to know about the shelf life of flour, how to keep it right and other useful information. (Read after the photo)
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Shelf life of flour by type
Regular all-purpose flour it takes a very long time – a year at room temperature and two years in the refrigerator or freezer. The same goes for other white flours – such as self-rising flour, white bread flour and white cake flour.
On the other hand, wholemeal flour has a duration of shorter shelf life. The reason: Wholemeal flour contains cereal bran and germ, which are high in fiber and other nutrients, but spoil more quickly. As a result, wholemeal flour is preserved up to three months at room temperature and up to one year in the refrigerator or freezer. The same goes for oat flour and other wholemeal flours.
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What about high-fat flours like almond and coconut flour?
Unfortunately, the fat in popular alternative flours like almond flour and coconut flour makes them to spoil faster than the flours with starch.
Almond and coconut flours have a shelf life of only three months at room temperature and six months in the refrigerator or freezer. The same goes for other flours of ground nuts and seeds fine, like linen.
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What is the correct way to store flour?
Like many other products, flour lasts longer if it is not exposed to circulating air. The best way to extend the shelf life of flour is keep it in an airtight container or in a sealable freezer bag at room temperature or, even better, in the fridge or freezer. Lower temperatures they slow down the decomposition and eventual spoilage of food.
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How do you know if the flour has gone bad?
Each bag of flour has a printed on it validity or expiration date. If you transfer the flour to an airtight container before storing it, label the container with the expiration date before throwing away the original packaging of the flour.
There is a simple way to tell if flour has expired: It just smells!
“Flour it should not have a smell, or at most a minimal nutty or sweet smell,” say nutritionists. “When the flour spoiled, it has a more sour smell or more like clay’. Although the smell is usually quite subtle, you should be able to detect it.
What period of time is the flour with the expiry date still good for consumption?:
- White flour: 6-8 months
- Rice flour: 6-8 months
- Maize flour: 12 months
- Potato flour: 8 months
- Wholemeal flour: 4-6 months
- Flour with raising agent: 6 months
Is it dangerous to eat expired flour?
Consumption of expired flour, in general, has no significant consequences. Most of the time, nothing happens except that the products are baked they don’t taste good.
However, there is a small chance that eating expired flour make you sick. If rancid flour contains large amounts of mycotoxins, you can get sick. Mycotoxins are toxic compounds produced by certain types of mold.
But flour with so much mold has a rather strong sour smellwhich you will most likely perceive as soon as you open the bag or container.
2024-02-10 20:09:00
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