soy milk

[hellembry]

So I have always purchased So Nice from the refrigerated section of my supermarket. The other week, I decided to try Vitasoy from the "Canned Milk" aisle. It's really delicious, but I'm concerned about what goes into the soy milk to keep it unrefrigerated. Does anybody know whether I should be concerned?

Comments

[nobodyhere]

It's just heated to a higher temperature -- nothing scary. I agree, Vitasoy is one of the best.

[turil]

Well, it's not necessarily heated more (as commercial soymilk is always thoroughly cooked anyway), it's that the milk is in an aseptic container. Aseptic literally means "no germs". These kinds of packages are designed so that there is no air inside. Bacteria generally need air to live. No air - no bacteria! It a version of vacuum packed food, which you see in things like fresh pasta, veggie pepperoni, and heat and serve meals (like the delicious Indian food sold by Tasty Bites!).

[rebbyribs]

It's sterilized (with high heat) and packed in a sterile container. It's pretty similar to how canning works - the high heat kills all the microbes, and no new ones can get in until the package is opened. (Which is why you have to refrigerate it after opening and it won't keep all that long even in the fridge.)