As you can see from the attached photo, the packet of beef mince has passed it's "use-by" date. The date, "16 Mar" isn't for the day three weeks ago, it is for 16 March 2021.
Yup, the packet has been in my 'fridge for over three years. I've got plenty of space in my big 'fridge. 😃
The contents discoloured within a few days of purchase. The colour went from a rich red to the much paler shade shown in the photo. The packaging got sucked-in, but, remained air-tight.
@fishidwardrobe
I don't know yet. I haven't opened it. I received another suggestion, up thread, to put some in a petri dish. I'm awaiting further instructions on that approach, before opening the packet.
Otherwise, the food contents haven't changed in appearance for over three years. Say what you like about the use of plastic packaging, but, it appears to be very effective.
The packaging is probably filled with an inert gas. However, the packaging doesn't indicate the use of a gas. These packets always feel tight and under pressure.
I'm not going to go as far as eating the contents, but, will consider any other suggestions to further the experiment. 😃
@fitheach Got a petri dish? You could try to culture a sample, find out what dominated in that environment. The negative pressure means it's probably not botulism !
@Jkp
Heavens, no. The experiment was to see if the content degraded visibly over time. It did, but, this happened within the first week, before the sell-by date had expired. The contents didn't change again over the next three years.
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