Entering the hot summer, cold drinks have become a must-have for many people to relieve the heat. Some people may have doubts. If milk tea, juice drinks, etc. are not finished in time, can the remaining ones be drunk again? To this end, experts from the Jiangsu Provincial Quality Inspection Institute conducted a set of experiments.
Entering the hot summer, cold drinks have become a must-have for many people to relieve the heat. Some people may have doubts. If milk tea, juice drinks, etc. are not finished in time, can the remaining ones be drunk again? To this end, experts from the Jiangsu Provincial Quality Inspection Institute conducted a set of experiments.
The experiment selected a number of freshly made milk tea, juice and bottled drinks, divided into two categories: drunk and undrinkable. They were stored in a biochemical incubator at 25℃ and a refrigerator at 4℃ respectively. At 0 hours, 6 hours and 12 hours, the total number of colonies in the beverages was detected according to the operating method of GB4789.2-2022 to check the degree of contamination of the samples.
Liu Qinyu, an engineer at the Food Testing Center of Jiangsu Provincial Quality Inspection Institute, said: "After being placed in a 25℃ environment for 6 hours, the total number of colonies in bottled beverages that have not been drunk is still low, but the bacteria in the juice and freshly made milk tea that have been drunk have multiplied in large numbers, especially after being placed at room temperature for 12 hours, the number of colonies in the original liquid is too many to count. After being placed in two different temperature environments for 12 hours, the total number of colonies in bottled beverages that have been drunk is higher than that in bottled beverages that have not been drunk, and the total number of colonies in samples placed in the refrigerator is less than that at room temperature."The experiment found that the biggest problem with beverages that have been placed for a long time is the growth of microorganisms. For example, after being placed in simulated room temperature for 6 hours, the total number of colonies in freshly made milk tea that has been drunk is more than five times higher than that in milk tea that has not been drunk, which has exceeded the national standard and is not suitable for drinking.
Liu Qinyu said: "The spoilage of food is the process of microorganisms breaking down nutrients. For drinks like milk tea and juice, the higher the protein and fat content, the greater the risk of spoilage. In addition, there are many common bacteria in the human mouth. Once food comes into contact with our mouth, it will no longer be fresh when put in the refrigerator. There are many factors that affect bacterial growth, so no matter what drink it is, drink it as soon as possible after opening the lid. Put it in the refrigerator when not drinking, and try to finish drinking it within 6 hours."
