Flour is an absolutely indispensable element for the numerous applications in almost every form of bakery product, from bread to desserts, and is obtained through the processing of various forms of cereals, even if culturally we are inclined to perceive with the a generic term is soft wheat flour which is also considered to have an average high refinement, used for most of the bread today as in the recent past. Even if today there are numerous variants of flour available for the most diverse uses, like another food product, the expiration date is shown on each package: but what happens if you consume expired flour?
It is a term that should not be considered as rare as being a non-fresh product, it tends to resist the deterioration process quite well, provided it is stored properly.
Expired flour, however, still causes some effects if consumed.
Expired flour: what happens if you use it?
On the basis of the directives of the European Union, a specific type of product has been configured which also includes flour according to the Minimum Conservation Term (TMC). In fact, these products considered not urgently perishable do not almost always have a specific day, and in principle the date given refers to a fairly generic concept defined by “best before”.
Flour, in particular the traditional “white” one, can also be consumed several weeks after the month of expiry indicated, provided it has been stored in a suitable way, in dry and cool environments, but also away from sunlight.
In general, white flours last well up to 6 months after their expiry date, while less refined ones generally perish more easily (2 or 3 months).
And in principle the only differences are related to the consistency and the “tactile” state of the flour: if it does not show traces of mold and if there are no insects which often start to peep out in case of badly stored or expired flour ( such as moths), the nutritional properties resist and at most a product developed with expired flour will be less genuine in terms of flavour.
Different speech if the flour has an unusual consistency and smell: in this case the flour can actually cause a series of problems related to the digestive system, such as aerophagia, stomach pains, belching and colitis.
As common sense suggests, in most cases it is the eye as well as the nose that are the “tools” that can help us understand whether a flour product is actually still consumable or not.