People love to pair hummus with their snacks and meals; thus, they shop for them in bulk.
They have this daily and then worry about the storage of their leftovers as people are unaware of their storage period.
So people do get curious about how long it will serve them or do hummus go bad.
The dip is originated from the Middle East and contains perishable ingredients that’s why hummus has a limited shelf life, after which this does go bad.
One should refrain from consuming bad hummus as it can be harmful.
How Long Does Hummus Last? Does Hummus Go Bad?
If you want to consume hummus until it offers you the best quality, you can consider its best-by date.
The store-bought dip comes with a best-by date; however, you can use the dip after that period too.
After the Labeled date, the sauce is edible but might not offer a similar taste as before.
Thus if anyone wants to increase the quality period of the dip, they need to follow suitable storing measures.
Store-bought unrefrigerated hummus can serve you according to its best-by date.
However, by keeping it under favorable conditions, one can expect it to offer a quality taste for months after its labeled date.
Once the pack is opened, then you need to consume it as quickly as possible.
That is because an opened pack is prone to bacteria and air, which makes the dip go bad.
Thus after opening it, one should keep this in the fridge and consume the dip within 4 to 7 days.
If you have a sauce that does not contain preservatives, then that should only be consumed for up to 4 days.
Homemade hummus can last for 4 to 5 days in the fridge, and storage at room temperature should be avoided.
How to Tell if Hummus Has Gone Bad?
- Mold Growth
To find bad hummus, one can look for changes that have happened because of long storage; one of them is mold growth.
You can examine the dip clearly and see if there are any spots or mold present on its surface.
When storage period increases, bacteria make clusters and affect the freshness of the hummus.
Thus If spots or mold are visible, then you need to discard the dip immediately.
- Off or Foul Smell
More extended storage will make the smell of the hummus go bad.
Therefore it is a good way of testing as you just need to sniff the sauce.
If the sauce offers a creamy and pleasant scent, then you can use it.
However, if it gives off a foul or off smell, you should avoid its consumption.
- Alteration in Texture
The texture of the dip will not change until and unless it gets bacteria or exposure to other outer elements.
Therefore if you notice that your sauce is not looking similar to before, then it indicates that it has gone bad.
Alterations like oil separation can be usual if you do not use it frequently, which can be corrected by a stir.
However, if this does not get on its initial texture after stirring, then you should throw it out.
How to Store Hummus?
- Unrefrigerated Hummus
In case you have bought unrefrigerated hummus, then you must not store it in the fridge.
That is because its ingredients retain their life more at room temperature.
Thus it would be best if you did not store it in the refrigerator until it’s unopened.
One should not store them at a too high temperature, too, as the oils might separate quickly from it.
- Refrigerate Leftovers
When you have eaten hummus, and there are some leftovers, then you should not store them in the pantry.
These should be sealed tightly and refrigerated; otherwise, they will go rancid in no time.
If you keep the container open, then the sauce will get excess air exposure and grow bacteria.
Therefore when you are storing leftovers sealing and refrigeration is essential.
- Use Airtight Container
To keep your leftovers and dip contactless, you can transfer them to airtight containers.
One can make them last longer by providing them with proper storage.
If the original container is not damaged and can be resealed, then you can use it too.
Besides this, Ziploc bags are also available that can be used to seal the original bag.
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