Greek yogurt is a dairy product and now it is gaining interest from many people worldwide. Some people think that Greek yogurt and curd are the same but they are completely different. The difference might not be huge but we will talk about this in detail in this article. As we all already know dairy products don’t last for too long on the shelf. Greek yogurt is also one of them. People who have started eating Greek yogurt recently struggle with the question of how to know if Greek yogurt is bad.
I will dedicate this article to providing you with all the knowledge about Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt can be a real choice to lead a healthy life. You can eat it every day without thinking twice. This article will also talk about all the possible benefits of eating Greek yogurt. We will try to cover everything in detail and also the possible harmful effects of consuming rotten yogurt.
1. What is Greek Yogurt?
Greek yogurt is one of the things that fall under the category of dairy products because has milk. To make Greek yogurt the makers ferment the milk by using a particular bacteria. People typically cannot make Greek yogurt by themselves, as it relies on the use of Streptococcus bacteria. There are many different options available in the market when it comes to Greek yogurt. If you don’t like to have plain Greek yogurt then you can try many different flavors.
It is good to eat at least a little portion of Greek yogurt once a day. Try to include it in your breakfast. You can have the flavored Greek yogurt as it is. On the other hand, you can use your plain Greek yogurt to make smoothies or add it to your oats. There is not only one company but there are many companies now who manufacture Greek yogurt. Children usually like to have flavored Greek yogurt because the added flavors in it are not precisely harmful.
2. Difference Between Greek Yogurt and Curd
It was not long ago when Greek yogurt came into existence so many people confuse Greek yogurt with curd. Even though both involve fermenting milk, they are different. The texture is very different for both curd and Greek yogurt. The Greek yogurt is very smooth in texture and the curd is lumpy so we have to smooth out the curd to use it.
We can say Greek yogurt is pretty much too hung curd. Curd and Greek yogurt are both made using bacteria. Greek yogurt is made by streptococcus bacteria and curd is made by the use of lactobacillus. There are things in which we need to use hung curd but it is time-consuming so we can use Greek yogurt here. People make Greek yogurt to replace hung curd because it saves both time and effort.
Even though there are many different yogurts available to us greek yogurt is the most common one. Use only plain Greek yogurt if you are replacing it with curd in some dishes because the flavoured Greek yogurt can mess up the other flavours of the dish.
3. A Few Ways to Know if Greek Yogurt is Bad
Many of you face the problem of detecting if the Greek yogurt has gone bad and it is a little difficult to tell that easily. We can tell easily if plain Greek yogurt has spoiled but it is tough to tell when we talk about the flavored Greek yogurt. The flavoured Greek yogurt has different colours following the flavours used in it. In this section, we will tell you all the possible ways to detect when Greek yogurt has gone bad.
3.01 Visible Mold
This is the easiest way to tell when Greek yogurt is spoiled because it is totally visible. It is easier to detect mould in plain Greek yogurt than the flavoured ones because of the added colours. If you have kept your Greek yogurt at room temperature then mold may grow on it. The expiration date also plays a very important role when it comes to dairy products. Don’t consume Greek yogurt which has visible mold on it because it can make to ill with some foodborne illnesses.
3.02 Texture
If you have left an opened box of Greek yogurt in your fridge for more than two weeks, make sure it is still safe before eating it. Greek yogurt has a very smooth and even texture, but if you store it in your fridge for a long time after opening it, there is a high possibility that its texture will change. If you observe that the texture of your Greek yogurt is lumpy and uneven then it means that it has already gone bad.
3.03 Smell
Greek yogurt already has a sour smell because bacteria help make it, but it is not difficult to differentiate the smell. It can be an effective way to examine your Greek yogurt because it works the same on both plain and flavoured Greek yogurt. If you smell Greek yogurt and it has an unusual smell that is different than the natural sour smell then it is safe to say that Greek yogurt is now spoiled.
3.04 Taste Test
If you are not able to detect by using smell or texture that the Greek yogurt is spoiled or not then try to taste it. If you eat Greek yogurt often then you will be familiar with its taste. Try to eat a very small quantity of yogurt to taste if you are not sure if it is still spoiled or not.
If it is too sour then it means that it has already gone bad and you should throw it away. It can be a little tricky to use with flavoured Greek yogurt but you can still try it and if it is too sour then it is bad. Please keep in mind that you don’t have to eat a full spoon to detect Greek yogurt, take only pinch full.
4. The Correct Way to Store Greek Yogurt
If you have bought a big tube of Greek yogurt then you have to store it carefully. If the packet is open then it can stay fresh for about two or more weeks in the freezer. Now if you have a big tube then every time you take some amount of yogurt out of the tube use a clean spoon. If you will use a dirty spoon it will spoil the whole packet even if you will keep it in the fridge. You can store the unopened box of Greek yogurt in your fridge for more than two months.
Keep it inside the freezer to prevent it from getting bad. Greek yogurt is sold by the date of use and everyone should check it before buying it to prevent buying the product which is close to its expiration date. Different companies provide different shelf life and observe that before buying Greek yogurt. Try to avoid storing your dairy products like Greek yogurt in the fridge door because they can get spoiled there. If the packet is open then keep it in an airtight container to avoid contact with air.
5. Possible Risks of Eating Spoiled Greek Yogurt
Everyone should exercise caution when consuming expired or spoiled Greek yogurt because it can lead to serious health issues. If you are using a packet bos then check the expiration date first and if are using an opened box of Greek yogurt then taste it or smell it before eating it. People who get ill easily should be more careful about these things.
Even after being careful of everything you still eat there are some possible risks of eating spoiled Greek yogurt. It can cause food poisoning and in this, you would need medical attention instantly before it gets worse. People with strong immunity can prevent food poisoning but their stomachs can get upset. It is always better to be extra careful about your food if you want to avoid catching a foodborne illnesses.
6. Final Note
We talked about Greek yogurt in this article and how it is different from the curd. They both are made by fermenting the milk with the use of bacteria. The bacteria are different because Greek yogurt is made by the use of streptococcus and curd is made with the use of lactobacillus. They both have some liquid on top of them but it is more in curd. It is safe to say that Greek yogurt is very much similar to the hung card.
It is safe to say that if you find it difficult to go through all the struggle to prepare hung curd then you can opt for Greek yogurt. Make sure that you are using plain Greek yogurt. You can eat it daily because it is a healthy snack option. You can freeze it to enjoy it as a healthy ice cream or you can add it to your smoothies and oats. It tastes good with some fruits and berries.
