Apple cider vinegar is praised by health, fitness and beauty gurus for its positive effects on the body and skin. From triggering weight loss to regulating blood sugar levels, this stuff is reportedly a miracle worker.

{%=o.title%} ]]>

Apple cider vinegar is known for its pungency, which makes it difficult to swallow.

After reading all about the benefits of the drink, you’ll realise it’s not just a trendy Instagram thing.

It is made by mixing apples and yeast to make alcohol and then fermenting this into acetic acid.

Many people drink it or mix it into food to reap these benefits since the taste is too strong for most to drink alone.

An article by Harvard Medical School states: “It can be consumed in small quantities or taken as a supplement.

“Its high levels of acetic acid, or perhaps other compounds, may be responsible for its supposed health benefits.

“Although recommendations for “dosing” vary, most are on the order of 1 to 2 teaspoons before or with meals.”

Since you’re drinking it such small shots, it will take you a while to get through a whole bottle. Does apple cider vinegar expire?

READ MORE-Apple cider vinegar: Dietitian warns of health drink side effects

Apple Cider Vinegar best before: APPLE CIDER vinegar woman drinking

Apple Cider Vinegar best before: Apple cider vinegar is good for a number of health concerns (Image: Getty)

Apple Cider Vinegar best before: woman opening a fridge to a dreadful smell

Apple Cider Vinegar best before: Apple cider vinegar shouldn’t be kept in the fridge (Image: Getty)

How to store apple cider vinegar

If you know how to store regular vinegars, like balsamic vinegar, you already know the answer.

Keep apple cider vinegar in a cool and dark place, away from sunlight and any sources of heat.

It’s perfectly fine to keep your ACV in the pantry, but storing it in any cabinet in the kitchen is fine.

Top tip: Make sure the lid is always sealed tightly when safely tucked away.

Check the back of your ACV bottle’s packaging if you want to be safe, though.

Apple Cider Vinegar best before: shrivelled apple

Apple Cider Vinegar best before: Unlike an actual apple, apple cider vinegar is safe to consume indefinitely (Image: Getty)

Does apple cider vinegar go bad?

There are very few liquids in your kitchen cupboard that don’t go off shortly after opening the bottle.

Luckily for you, apple cider vinegar is safe to consume indefinitely.

Just like honey or hard liquors like whiskey, bacteria or fungi won’t grow and live on apple cider vinegar.

The reason for this is all down to its acidity and what it is made up of.

DON’T MISS…
High blood pressure: A drink to lower reading  [INFORMER]
Apple cider vinegar: When should you drink Apple cider vinegar  [INFORMER]
How apple cider vinegar can help burn fat fast [EXPLAINER]

Why doesn’t apple cider vinegar expire?

Apple cider vinegar is acidic. The pH of undiluted apple cider vinegar is somewhere between 4.25 and 5.

This pH level stops bacterial or microbial growth inside the vinegar.

On top of this, the presence of malic acid and acetic acid makes ACV a powerful disinfectant in its own right.

Its antibacterial qualities means the liquid is used in a number of natural cleaning products and skincare products.

Apple Cider Vinegar best before: apple cider vinegar in a bottle

Apple Cider Vinegar best before: There is a best before date on the bottle for guidance (Image: Getty)

What is the best by date of apple cider vinegar?

Apple cider vinegar can remain in tip-top condition for years with no signs of deterioration.

Despite this, manufacturers will slap a best-by date on the bottle. Why is this?

The best-by date simply tells you how long the ACV will retain its quality.

This date does not tell you how long the liquid will be safe to consume for.

How to tell if apple cider vinegar is bad

If you google which apple cider vinegar to purchase, you will see the phrase ‘the mother’ pop up.

The mother is a bacteria that causes the vinegar to rise.

When apple cider vinegar is made, yeast is added to apple juice to turn the sugars into alcohol.

Then, the mother is added to convert the alcohol into acetic acid. It’s the healthiest and most nutritious part of the liquid.

Many apple cider vinegars will have the mother removed because it is responsible for a cloudy appearance that makes the liquid look unappealing.

If your bottle contains the mother, it will linger at the bottle and can appear dark and slimy. This appearance doesn’t mean it has gone off, it is perfectly normal.

The mother should also be in bottles that say “raw”.

However, if your label states that the liquid is pasteurised or filtered, this means there is no mother present in the bottle.

Apple cider vinegar almost never spoils, but if it has changed colour or smells off you should get rid of it.

The same goes for an ‘off’ taste.

Source: Daily Express | Diet