past the expiration date. If it stored properly, it is totally fine to use the whey protein for much longer time after the prescribed time period.
Protein powder might be safe to consume after its expiration date, as long as no spoilage signs are observed. The “best by” date is an indication of the best quality. However, if you see any symptoms mentioned in the earlier section, it’s better to discard the product. Can protein powder go bad after mixing?
Though research suggests that whey protein has a shelf life of 9–19 months, many protein powder manufacturers list an expiration date of 2 years after production, which is likely made possible due to additives that extend shelf life.
Shelf life generally refers to how long food retains optimal quality after production. Supplement manufacturers do not have to include an expiration date on their products ( 5 ). However, many companies voluntarily provide an expiration or “best by” stamp along with a manufactured date.
6-18 months past the date will almost certainly be okay in most cases (again, as long as you’re sure that it’s been stored properly), and technically speaking it may be completely fine for several years afterwards.
How long does whey protein last?
Based on the available research, whey protein powder has a shelf life of 9–19 months when stored under normal conditions. Most protein powders contain additives that extend the shelf life for up to 2 years.
Signs that protein powder has gone bad include a rancid smell, bitter taste, changes in color, or clumping ( 7. Trusted Source. ). Similarly to eating spoiled foods, consuming protein powder with one or more of these signs — regardless of the expiration date — could make you sick.
Protein powders come from a variety of sources, including: 1 milk — in the form of whey or casein 2 soy 3 collagen 4 pea 5 rice 6 egg white
For example, some protein powders may contain both fast-digesting whey and slow-digesting casein protein. Protein powders also include varying levels of other nutrients, such as fats, carbs, vitamins, and minerals.
Protein powder basics. Protein powders offer a convenient and relatively inexpensive way to increase your protein intake. Though much attention is focused on protein’s beneficial effect on muscle gain, research continues to unravel other benefits of higher protein intakes, including fat loss, blood sugar stabilization, blood pressure control, …
summary. Protein powder is likely safe to consume shortly after its expiration date if there are no signs that it has gone bad. However, the protein content of protein powders may decline with age.
How to store protein powder?
To keep from wasting half a container of your precious protein, follow these four storage tips and keep it fresh: 1 Always store protein powder in the container it comes in. The dark or opaque packaging protects the contents from light. 2 Keep the container in a cool, dry place, like the cupboard or pantry. (You can even freeze protein powder if you won’t use it for ages, says Quinlan.) 3 Don’t store protein powder on top of the fridge. The mechanical heat and humidity there will shorten its shelf life. 4 Make sure the spoon or scoop you use is always dry. Getting water into the container can spur mold growth which then causes bacterial growth, says Quinlan.
To keep from wasting half a container of your precious protein, follow these four storage tips and keep it fresh: Always store protein powder in the container it comes in. The dark or opaque packaging protects the contents from light. Keep the container in a cool, dry place, like the cupboard or pantry. (You can even freeze protein powder …
If too much air, heat, or moisture gets into your container of protein powder, it can affect the unstable fat in the product and cause it to spoil. Luckily, if this is the case you’ll notice a funky, rancid smell as soon as you open the container, says Quinlan. If the stank doesn’t give it away, spoilt protein may also start to clump up, …
The bottom line: Though you can use protein powder beyond the date printed on its label, it can spoil.
Basically, using a protein powder past this date isn’t necessarily dangerous.
Keep the container in a cool, dry place, like the cupboard or pantry. (You can even freeze protein powder if you won’t use it for ages, says Quinlan.) Don’t store protein powder on top of the fridge. The mechanical heat and humidity there will shorten its shelf life. Make sure the spoon or scoop you use is always dry.
Protein powder can be super handy to have around. Toss a little in your smoothie or brownie batter and voila, your favorite eats now pack extra protein. Tubs of protein powder always seem to be Costco-sized, though, making it nearly impossible to power through them before that date stamped on the side, which begs the question: Does protein powder …
Can you get sick from storing protein powder?
Same goes for plant-based protein powders too. So unless you’re storing your canisters in a warm, humid place (like the bathroom or your gym locker), you’re likely not going to get yourself sick. That said, there are a few other things to consider. This content is imported from {embed-name}.
As for the muscle-building mojo of protein powder, it does diminish after the use-by date has passed . You can blame a chemical reaction called Maillard browning: The protein reacts with sugar left over from when the manufacturers extracted the whey from the milk, resulting in a gradual breakdown of the amino acid lysine.
Here’s the short answer: Protein powders don’t spoil the way meat or dairy does. Meaning that—unless something has gone seriously wrong—you won’t open your old tub of protein powder to find mold, bacterial growth, or a baby Graboid for Tremors.
How to make protein powder not smell bad?
1. Do a sniff test. While it won’t smell anywhere near as bad as soured milk, bad protein powder will smell funky when they’re donezo, according to Mobin. She calls out that this step is especially important for non-vegan, whey protein powders, which go bad more quickly than vegan ones. 2.
“When the powder does this, it’s a sign the powder has been exposed to water or moisture,” explains Richards. And “moisture makes it easier for things like microbes and bacteria to grow in the container, which can make it go bad more quickly,” she says.
While most protein powders are packaged in air-tight containers, there are other ways moisture can get in. For example: storing the container in a super warm and wet environment (like a bathroom cabinet or gym locker), or using a not-completely-dry scooper can introduce moisture to the supplement.
Here’s the thing: even if you’re scooping the goods every day , it can be hard to get through a tub of the powdery goodness before its expiration date.
Yes, protein powder can expire—and that includes all kinds of protein powder: pea, hemp, whey, and so on. “All forms of protein powder have an end of shelf life, and can expire,” says Richards.
But here’s the thing: the stamped-on expiration date isn’t the best way to tell, according to Mobin. “Expiration dates are just an estimate,” she says.
So long as it’s not showing any of the above signs of being spoiled, it’s not necessarily dangerous to consume protein powder past its expiration date. It just may not be as potent. That’s because, according to research, overtime sugar can interact with protein, and cause can breakdown of lysine, which is one of the amino acids present in protein powder. Lose some of the lysine and you’ll lose some of the protein content of the mix.
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