Can you freeze yogurt? You can freeze yogurt and extend its shelf life up to 2 months. You can store yogurt in a refrigerator in a closed container for about 1 to 2 weeks. When it comes to important bacteria strains the FDA, (The U.S Federal Drug Administration) requires that any yogurt including milk have at least two strains of bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Streptococcus.
Can you freeze yogurt? Photo credit: iStock-Motionshooter
These live and active cultures are known as probiotics.
And some of the health benefits of consuming probiotic yogurt is:
- enhanced immunity
- improved digestive health.
- lower cholesterol levels.
There was a research study that was done on yogurt being frozen for 35 days. And it found no significant decline in the number of bacteria present in the yogurt.
A lot of research studies indicate that live bacteria stay dormant until the yogurt is thawed. But if you add ingredients like fruit or grains that can potentially be detrimental to the survival of the bacteria strains.
One of the most significant differences when yogurt is frozen is the texture is thinner and grainier. After you freeze your yogurt the safest thing to do is to thaw it out in the refrigerator. And this inhibits unsafe bacteria from thriving. Always check the expiration date of any yogurt you have before you freeze it.
If the yogurt has a bad or weird smell or has a slimy molded texture, then chances are it is probably spoiled and has passed its expiration date.
The Bottom Line is you can freeze yogurt and extend the life of it up to 2 months. And this is provided that the expiration date of the yogurt cup hasn’t passed.
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References
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