What Happens to Soy Milk a Few Days After Opening?

[A]

I've been curious about this for a while. Since I don't like the taste of milk and am intolerant to lactose, when I moved out, I started consuming only soy milk.

This product, because of its packaging, I guess, preserves itself for quite a long while. The pack I bought last week expires in May. But alongside the "Best before" date, there's also this note: "Best consumed within X to Y days after opening."

The numbers vary, depending on the brand, from 5 to 12, from what I can tell.

It has happened to me to use it one, two or three days past the delay, and I noticed nothing different. I guess it's a bottom line value, and that in most cases, you can wait a little longer without risk, but I suppose that if I'd waited for 5, 7 or 10 more days, "something" would have happened.

I'm really curious, seeing the huge difference in conservation times between opened and unopened packs. Does anyone know what happens?

[Devlyn]

Soy cheese? Hugs, Devlyn

[Jeneva]

We have even left UNopened cartons in the garage overnight and they were just fine.  As long as it stays cold after opening it is hard to hurt the stuff.

We routinely keep the chocolate variety open for a month with no off tastes or sicknesses.

[niamh]

The unopened packets conserve for ages and they don't even have to be in the fridge. In my supermarket they are always stocked on a normal shelf and not in the chilled foods section. Once opened but in a tight container they need to be consumed within 5 days to a week and kept in a fridge. But when I make it fresh it only lasts 24 hours before it goes bad. After 24 it just goes rotten.

[Constance]

It will evolve evil intelligence overnight, rise up and destroy you! It will also drink all of your beer!

[Devlyn]

Connie, it sounds like there's something else going on in your refrigerator! Hugs, Devlyn

[Constance]

No, no, everything is *twitch* just fine.

To the topic at hand, I really haven't noticed any degradation in the taste of soy milk over the course of a few days. But, I don't think I've ever had a carton of the stuff stay in the fridge unconsumed for more than 4 days.