Does almond milk need to be refrigerated?
By
Dr Tayse Ferreira F. Da Silveira PhD
| Reviewed by
Dr Tayse Ferreira F. Da Silveira PhD
The contents of this article are fact-based except otherwise stated within the article.
Author bio
Dr Tayse has extensive experience in Food Science, especially through studying the chemical composition and stability of foods, as well as their bioactive properties. She writes and reviews content on these topics.
Dr Tayse da Silveira´s Highlights:
- Lecturer at the State University of São Paulo (Unesp), Brazil, for Food Engineering students
- Post-doctorate in Food Science, with a one-year training period at Cirad – France.
- PhD in Food Science, with a one-year scholarship at the University of Reading/United Kingdom.
- Bachelor of Food Engineering at the Federal University of Pará, Brazil.
“Food Science is exciting because it touches our lives in such personal and intimate ways. Understanding food systems and gaining knowledge of how to manipulate them, helps society evolve as a whole” – Dr Tayse da Silveira.
Professional experience:
In her doctorate at the University of Campinas, Dr Tayse studied the effect of emergent preservation techniques, such as high-pressure processing, on the chemical and microbial properties of foods.
After completing her doctorate, Tayse da Silveira worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the Pharmaceutical Science Department at the University of São Paulo (USP), with a one-year training at CIRAD, Montpellier, France.
During this period, Dr Tayse worked on the development and evaluation of innovative antioxidant molecules for the preservation of fatty food products.
Dr Tayse also taught in public and private universities in Brazil for Nutrition, Food Engineering, and Enology students, always on food science and food technology-related subjects, including microbiology, milk technology, and wine-making technology.
She has also been involved in a number of studies evaluating the chemical composition and bioactive properties of food products, with emphasis on the development of analytical techniques to achieve that.
Currently, Dr Tayse works at the Centro de Investigação de Montanha (MRC), Portugal. She continues to work on the study of the chemical composition of foods, with a focus on identifying and isolating molecules with potential for application as food ingredients.
In her research, she targets molecules able to provide health and nutritional improvement, and antioxidant and antimicrobial properties (natural food additives).
She regularly publishes in high-impact, specialized scientific journals in her field, and feels encouraged to expand her knowledge domain by doing new scientific partnerships.
Education
- 2017 – PhD in Food Science at the University of Campinas Brazil, with a one-year training period at the University of Reading/United Kingdom.
- 2013 – Master’s Degree in Food Science at the University of Campinas, Brazil.
- 2011 – Bachelor of Food Engineering at the Federal University of Pará, Brazil.
Relevant Published work
- Roschel GG, da Silveira TFF, Cajaíba LM, Ferrari RA, Castro IA. Combination of natural strategies to improve the oxidative stability of echium seed oil. Journal of Food Science. 2021;86(2):411-9.
- de Moraes MR, da Silveira TFF, Coutinho JP, Souza DS, Duarte MCT, Duarte RT, et al. Bioactivity of atemoya fruits and by-products. Food Bioscience. 2021;41:101036.
- Ferreira da Silveira TF, Laguerre M, Bourlieu-Lacanal C, Lecomte J, Durand E, Figueroa-Espinoza MC, et al. Impact of surfactant concentration and antioxidant mode of incorporation on the oxidative stability of oil-in-water nanoemulsions. LWT. 2021;141:110892.
- da Silveira TFF, Cajaíba LM, Valentin L, Baréa B, Villeneuve P, Castro IA. Effect of sinapic acid ester derivatives on the oxidative stability of omega-3 fatty acids rich oil-in-water emulsions. Food Chemistry. 2020;309:125586.
- Roschel GG, da Silveira TFF, Cajaiba LM, Castro IA. Combination of Hydrophilic or Lipophilic Natural Compounds to Improve the Oxidative Stability of Flaxseed Oil. European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology. 2019;121(5):1800459.
- da Silveira TFF, Cristianini M, Kuhnle GG, Ribeiro AB, Filho JT, Godoy HT. Anthocyanins, non-anthocyanin phenolics, tocopherols and antioxidant capacity of açaí juice (Euterpe oleracea) as affected by high pressure processing and thermal pasteurization. Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies. 2019;55:88-96.
- da Silveira TFF, de Souza TCL, Carvalho AV, Ribeiro AB, Kuhnle GGC, Godoy HT. White açaí juice (Euterpe oleracea): Phenolic composition by LC-ESI-MS/MS, antioxidant capacity and inhibition effect on the formation of colorectal cancer related compounds. Journal of Functional Foods. 2017;36:215-23.
You can view some of Dr Tayse´s work below and links to her professional profile:
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tayse-Ferreira?ev=hdr_xprf
Scopus: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=55901968900
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=l4zi0d8AAAAJ&hl=pt-PT
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tayse-ferreira-a2311947/
Reviewer bio
Dr Tayse has extensive experience in Food Science, especially through studying the chemical composition and stability of foods, as well as their bioactive properties. She writes and reviews content on these topics.
Dr Tayse da Silveira´s Highlights:
- Lecturer at the State University of São Paulo (Unesp), Brazil, for Food Engineering students
- Post-doctorate in Food Science, with a one-year training period at Cirad – France.
- PhD in Food Science, with a one-year scholarship at the University of Reading/United Kingdom.
- Bachelor of Food Engineering at the Federal University of Pará, Brazil.
“Food Science is exciting because it touches our lives in such personal and intimate ways. Understanding food systems and gaining knowledge of how to manipulate them, helps society evolve as a whole” – Dr Tayse da Silveira.
Professional experience:
In her doctorate at the University of Campinas, Dr Tayse studied the effect of emergent preservation techniques, such as high-pressure processing, on the chemical and microbial properties of foods.
After completing her doctorate, Tayse da Silveira worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the Pharmaceutical Science Department at the University of São Paulo (USP), with a one-year training at CIRAD, Montpellier, France.
During this period, Dr Tayse worked on the development and evaluation of innovative antioxidant molecules for the preservation of fatty food products.
Dr Tayse also taught in public and private universities in Brazil for Nutrition, Food Engineering, and Enology students, always on food science and food technology-related subjects, including microbiology, milk technology, and wine-making technology.
She has also been involved in a number of studies evaluating the chemical composition and bioactive properties of food products, with emphasis on the development of analytical techniques to achieve that.
Currently, Dr Tayse works at the Centro de Investigação de Montanha (MRC), Portugal. She continues to work on the study of the chemical composition of foods, with a focus on identifying and isolating molecules with potential for application as food ingredients.
In her research, she targets molecules able to provide health and nutritional improvement, and antioxidant and antimicrobial properties (natural food additives).
She regularly publishes in high-impact, specialized scientific journals in her field, and feels encouraged to expand her knowledge domain by doing new scientific partnerships.
Education
- 2017 – PhD in Food Science at the University of Campinas Brazil, with a one-year training period at the University of Reading/United Kingdom.
- 2013 – Master’s Degree in Food Science at the University of Campinas, Brazil.
- 2011 – Bachelor of Food Engineering at the Federal University of Pará, Brazil.
Relevant Published work
- Roschel GG, da Silveira TFF, Cajaíba LM, Ferrari RA, Castro IA. Combination of natural strategies to improve the oxidative stability of echium seed oil. Journal of Food Science. 2021;86(2):411-9.
- de Moraes MR, da Silveira TFF, Coutinho JP, Souza DS, Duarte MCT, Duarte RT, et al. Bioactivity of atemoya fruits and by-products. Food Bioscience. 2021;41:101036.
- Ferreira da Silveira TF, Laguerre M, Bourlieu-Lacanal C, Lecomte J, Durand E, Figueroa-Espinoza MC, et al. Impact of surfactant concentration and antioxidant mode of incorporation on the oxidative stability of oil-in-water nanoemulsions. LWT. 2021;141:110892.
- da Silveira TFF, Cajaíba LM, Valentin L, Baréa B, Villeneuve P, Castro IA. Effect of sinapic acid ester derivatives on the oxidative stability of omega-3 fatty acids rich oil-in-water emulsions. Food Chemistry. 2020;309:125586.
- Roschel GG, da Silveira TFF, Cajaiba LM, Castro IA. Combination of Hydrophilic or Lipophilic Natural Compounds to Improve the Oxidative Stability of Flaxseed Oil. European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology. 2019;121(5):1800459.
- da Silveira TFF, Cristianini M, Kuhnle GG, Ribeiro AB, Filho JT, Godoy HT. Anthocyanins, non-anthocyanin phenolics, tocopherols and antioxidant capacity of açaí juice (Euterpe oleracea) as affected by high pressure processing and thermal pasteurization. Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies. 2019;55:88-96.
- da Silveira TFF, de Souza TCL, Carvalho AV, Ribeiro AB, Kuhnle GGC, Godoy HT. White açaí juice (Euterpe oleracea): Phenolic composition by LC-ESI-MS/MS, antioxidant capacity and inhibition effect on the formation of colorectal cancer related compounds. Journal of Functional Foods. 2017;36:215-23.
You can view some of Dr Tayse´s work below and links to her professional profile:
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tayse-Ferreira?ev=hdr_xprf
Scopus: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=55901968900
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=l4zi0d8AAAAJ&hl=pt-PT
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tayse-ferreira-a2311947/
In this brief article, we will answer the query, “Does almond milk need to be refrigerated?”. We will also talk about, the shelf life, and storage methods of almond milk.
Does almond milk need to be refrigerated?
Shelf-stable almond milk needs refrigeration after opening. Before opening, it is not necessary to keep shelf-stable almond milk refrigerated, you can leave it in your pantry.
Freshly made-almond milk and other non-shelf-stable almond milk will need refrigeration to keep quality, otherwise, they will spoil quickly, besides representing a risk for foodborne illnesses.
Why does almond milk need to be refrigerated?
Unless it is shelf-stable and unopened, almond milk needs to be refrigerated due to its high perishability and because chilling reduces the rate of spoilage reactions [1].
Indeed, almond milk is a rich environment for microbial growth: it contains mostly water (85-90%), proteins, fat, carbohydrates, fibers, Vitamin E, phytosterols, and minerals such as calcium [2, 3].
Moreover, the pH of almond milk is close to neutrality (about 6.5), the favorite one of many bacteria to multiply.
Previous studies also revealed that almond milk contains a high concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids, making it very susceptible to oxidation and hydrolytic rancidity [2].
Rancidity is the result of a chain of reactions that can take place when unsaturated fat in almond milk enters into contact with the air, leading to the formation of off-flavors and off-odors associated with rancidity [4].
Alternatively, rancidity can result from biochemical reactions mediated by enzymes.
It is known from previous research that every 10°C reduction in temperature lowers two to three times reaction rates [1].
These reduced rates include microbial growth and chemical and biochemical reactions that contribute to almond milk spoilage.
Thus, chilling will delay the progress of all of these alterations, resulting in an extended shelf life of almond milk.
How long does almond milk last refrigerated?
Before opening, brands label that shelf-stable almond milk last for up to 10 months in your pantry [5].
This is possible because shelf-stable almond milk undergoes sterilization to make the product commercially sterile, and aseptic packaging in cartons to protect it from light, oxygen, and recontamination.
After opening, almond milk should be stored between 0 and 8°C and last about 5 days in the refrigerator [1, 6]. For precise periods, stick to the recommendation described on the label.
After opening, the almond milk enters into contact with air and external contamination. Thus, it is no longer sterile, and spoilage (e.g. due to fat oxidation and microbes) will take place over time.
Homemade almond milk should also be stored in the refrigerator between 0 and 8°C and last for 3-5 days [1].
In all cases, chilling reduces the rate of growth of microorganisms and chemical reactions, therefore, delaying spoilage [1].
Indications that the almond milk has gone bad in the refrigerator
To know whether your almond milk has gone bad in the refrigerator, observe its appearance and feel its smell.
Any color or viscosity change in your milk may indicate spoilage by microbial growth. Off-odors and off-flavors are other manifestations of spoilage.
Due to the characteristics of almond milk (pH close to neutrality), microbial spoilage of almond milk is mainly due to bacteria, but molds and yeast may also participate.
While developing in food, these microorganisms release enzymes that break almond milk components, promoting texture change, as well as metabolites that can produce color modifications, unpleasant odors, and flavors [1].
If you notice any of these external signs, simply discard the almond milk. Tasting is not a good idea, because bad appearance and smell already indicate complete taste deterioration.
In addition to microbial spoilage, almond milk fat can oxidize. This can be perceived by a rancid smell. It is not promptly harmful to your health, but you will probably reject it due to the unpleasant odor.
Is it safe to drink expired almond milk that has been opened and refrigerated?
No, it is not safe to drink expired almond milk that has been opened and kept refrigerated.
Harmful bacteria usually do not cause sensory changes in foods [4], that mission is accomplished by spoiling bacteria.
This means that if your milk is contaminated with microorganisms that will make you sick, it will appear perfect for you, with no signs of spoilage.
Thus, avoid consuming expired almond milk after opening, which includes the date printed on labels and the storage period advised after opening (usually 5 days).
Tips for better storage of almond milk in the refrigerator
- Keep it protected from light and air. With packed almond milk, you can do it by sealing the lid tightly every time you handle the pack.
For homemade milk, store it in dark, airtight containers. This will reduce fat oxidation and contamination.
- Do not leave your almond milk on the door shelves of your refrigerator. In this area, there is significant temperature fluctuation, which may negatively impact the shelf life of the product.
- Check that your refrigerator is chilling properly. The ideal storage of almond milk is between 0 and 8°C [1]. You can check it by using a thermometer.
Conclusion
In this brief study, we answered the question, “Does almond milk need to be refrigerated?”. We also talked about the shelf life and storage methods of almond milk.
1. Fellows PJ. Food Processing Technology Principles and Practice. Fourth ed, 2017.
2. Silva ARA, Silva MMN, Ribeiro BD. Health issues and technological aspects of plant-based alternative milk. Food Research International. 2020;131:108972.
3. AlozieYetunde E, Udofia, editors. Nutritional and Sensory Properties of Almond ( Prunus amygdalu Var . Dulcis ) Seed Milk. World Journal of Dairy & Food Sciences. 2015;10 (2): 117-121.
4. Vieira SA, Zhang G, Decker EA. Biological Implications of Lipid Oxidation Products. Journal of the American Oil Chemists’ Society. 2017;94(3):339-51.
5. https://silk.com/plant-based-products/shelf-stable/benefits-of-shelf-stable/
