What happens if you eat expired instant mashed potatoes?

In this article, we will answer the question “what happens if you eat expired instant mashed potatoes?” and discuss how to know if mashed potatoes are spoiled and the risks of eating spoiled mash potatoes.

What happens if you eat expired instant mashed potatoes?

If you eat expired instant mashed potatoes, it is possible that nothing unusual happens. In general, food can be consumed after the expiration date, when stored under the correct conditions and handled properly and show no sign of spoilage (2).

However, it is possible that expired instant mashed potatoes spoil and consuming spoiled mashed potatoes can be a risk to health and cause foodborne diseases. Many food outbreaks related to the consumption of potato products have been reported in the past years (1).

What are the risks of eating spoiled instant mashed potatoes?

The risk of eating spoiled instant mashed potatoes is of experiencing a foodborne illness. Potatoes and potato products are susceptible to contamination by many microorganisms.

Contamination of the raw materials or their improper handling, unhygienic cooking practices, poor storage conditions or storage over the recommended storage time can lead to spoilage of potato products.

The most commonly pathogenic bacteria found in dehydrated potato products is Bacillus cereus, which is able to form thermoresistant spores and develop in cooked food, despite heat treatment. Other pathogenic microorganisms are Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, yeasts and molds (1).

Common molds in potato products are Aspergillus, Cladosporium, and Penicillium, which can produce toxins.

Consuming contaminated food can cause infections by these microorganisms or their toxins, which are associated with the following symptoms: vomiting, diarrhea, flu-like symptoms, fever and headache (3). 

How to know if instant mashed potatoes are spoiled?

To know if instant mashed potatoes are spoiled, you should be able to identify the signs of spoilage. For dry instant mashed potatoes, the possible signs indicating that they are spoiled are (4):

  • Changes in the texture, such as caking, agglomeration
  • Loss of aroma and volatiles and generation of off-odors, such as rancidity due to lipid oxidation
  • Browning (darkening of the color), loss of pigments
  • Development of off-flavors, such as soapy tastes

For cooked instant mashed potatoes, the possible signs indicating that they are spoiled are (1,5):

  • Generation of off-flavors and off- odors, such as sour, yeasty, rancidity due to lipid oxidation
  • Changes in the texture, due to moisture migration and moisture loss
  • Changes in the color, such as browning due to Maillard reactions
  • Mold growth

What is the shelf life of instant mashed potatoes?

The shelf life of instant mashed potatoes is 10 to 15 months when stored unopened at room temperature. After opening of the package, the shelf life is reduced to 6 to 12 months (6).

The shelf life of cooked instant mashed potatoes is 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator and 10 to 12 months when stored in the freezer.

How to store instant mashed potatoes?

Instant mashed potatoes should be stored in a cool and dark place, free from moisture or light and away from heat sources, such as electric equipment. Even after the opening of the package, keep the dry instant mashed protected from moisture and heat, as well as from light (7).

In the case of cooked instant mashed potatoes, you should store it in an airtight food container in the refrigerator or in the freezer. Avoid temperature fluctuations and consume it within the recommended storage time.

Conclusion

In this article, we answered the question “what happens if you eat expired instant mashed potatoes?” and discussed how to know if mashed potatoes are spoiled and the risks of eating spoiled mash potatoes.

Reference

  1. Doan, Craig H., and P. Michael Davidson. Microbiology of potatoes and potato products: a review. J food protect, 2000, 63, 668-683.
  2. Food product dating. United States Department of Agriculture.
  3. Food Poisoning Symptoms. Food Poisoning Symptoms | CDC.
  4. Bonazzi, Catherine, and Elisabeth Dumoulin. Quality changes in food materials as influenced by drying processes. Modern drying technology. 2011. 
  5. Zhang, Hongchao, et al. Shelf-life modeling of microwave-assisted thermal sterilized mashed potato in polymeric pouches of different gas barrier properties. J Food Eng, 2016, 183, 65-73.
  6. Food keeper. United States Department of Agriculture.
  7. Van Laanen, P. Safe Home Food Storage. Texas University.

Was this helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!