Have you ever been disappointed by finding some weird watery liquid on top of your brand-new yogurt? Why does yogurt separate? Is it still safe to eat? Find out here!
Why Does Yogurt Separate?
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Have you ever noticed this before? You get yogurt from the grocery store, bring it home, and open it up. It looks beautiful. Nice and smooth, all mixed together, perfect! You take out a few spoonfuls for a snack or for a recipe. When you come back the next day, the yogurt has separated and there’s this weird liquid on top.
Or sometimes when you first open the yogurt it looks like it has separated already. What is that stuff? Why does it do that? Now, what do you do? Can you still eat it?
Is It Safe to Eat Separated Yogurt?
Yes. It is safe to eat separated yogurt, as long as there is nothing else that makes you think the yogurt might be going bad. If it smells and looks normal, is within the expiration date stamped on the package, and has been stored properly (refrigerated) it should be safe to eat.
What is the Liquid on Top of Yogurt?
It looks like water, but it isn’t just water. That liquid that separates out from your yogurt is called whey. And it is completely normal for the whey to separate out from the “solid” yogurt.
When yogurt is made (both regular yogurt and Greek yogurt), milk is mixed with special bacterial cultures. When those bacteria ferment the milk, we get yogurt. Hooray, science!
After the bacteria ferment milk into yogurt, we are also left with some liquid whey. Whey has a lot of protein, and also has some calcium, Vitamin D, and lots of B vitamins. It’s good stuff!
Part of the yogurt-making process is to strain the whey off the solid yogurt. But not all of the whey is removed. And while the yogurt sits at the grocery store an in your refrigerator, the whey will start to separate from the yogurt. Most store-bought yogurts include a stabilizer. That stabilizer helps to slow down the separation process, but doesn’t stop it completely.
What Should I Do With Separated Yogurt?
You can pour off the liquid whey and eat the yogurt that’s left. You’ll have a thicker yogurt with a little different flavor. Or you can mix the liquid whey right back into the yogurt and enjoy! There is nothing “bad” about the whey that has separated, it’s just what happens as yogurt sits for a little while.
Enjoy!
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Was wondering. Now i know. Thanks.