Сaviar is an expensive delicacy that has long been an invariable attribute of the festive table. However, like other types of food products, caviar has a certain shelf life, after which it becomes unsafe to eat. Let’s find out how caviar lasts and how to know if caviar is bad.

Every time you bring home this not a cheap delicacy, there is a risk of buying fake, substandard or simply spoiled caviar. The latter option is especially dangerous since eating spoiled caviar in food can cause unpleasant consequences for our health.

Does caviar go bad? Yes, caviar does go bad. What is the shelf life of caviar? If unopened caviar can last up to a year, opened caviar will only last for 3-5 days, depending on the container. Caviar must be kept in the fridge at a temperature of +2—+4°C, tightly covered with a lid. Failure to comply with these rules may result in food poisoning. 

Does unopened caviar go bad? Unopened caviar goes bad as well as opened caviar. Unopened caviar lasts for a year, provided that you store it in the fridge at a temperature of +2—+4°C. Unopened caviar should be kept on the top shelf of the fridge or next to a back wall, but not on the fridge’s door.

Ultimate Guide on Caviar’s Shelf Life

How long does caviar last in a tin can? How long does caviar last in the refrigerator? The shelf life of an open can of caviar in the refrigerator (+2—+4°C) is only one week, while unopened caviar will last till the date indicated on the package, which is usually one year. After you open a tin can of caviar, transfer it to another non-metal container. Do not store caviar in its original packaging due to metal oxidation.

How long does caviar in a glass jar? The shelf life of an open can is also no more than one week, an unopened can for the entire shelf life printed on the package. Caviar in a glass jar should also be stored with a tight-fitting lid, maintaining a temperature range of +2 to +4 degrees. To ensure the maximum shelf life, it is advisable to place a jar of caviar in the refrigerator’s coldest zone.

6 Mistakes When Storing Caviar in the Fridge — Find Out What Not To Do!

Mistake # 1 — storing caviar in the refrigerator in a metal container.

Do not store caviar in a tin can after opening it. Tin can lead to oxidation, giving a metallic taste to caviar and making it go bad. Transfer the caviar into a glass container and seal it with a lid.

Mistake # 2 — other food getting into the caviar.

You must take caviar with clean tableware. If food gets in the caviar container, it will start the fermentation process, which will lead to the caviar going bad.

Mistake # 3 — getting microbes into the caviar.

Before opening the tin can, you must rinse and wipe the container to avoid microbes getting in the caviar container. Microbes can not only reduce the shelf life of caviar but also lead to food poisoning.

Mistake # 4 — storing caviar without a lid. 

Leaving caviar in a refrigerator without a lid is a big mistake because the caviar will get the odor of other food in the fridge. Also, such storage leads to the evaporation of moisture and drying of the caviar.

Mistake # 5 — long freezing.

According to experts, freezing a delicacy is permissible, but this type of storage should be resorted to as a last resort. Caviar does not deteriorate in the freezer, but it loses its taste and becomes watery. Also, rich in various vitamins and microelements, caviar loses some of its beneficial properties or their effect decreases. Therefore, a reasonable decision is to purchase the delicacy in small portions and eat it for 5 days.

Can caviar be stored at room temperature? Remember, though, that caviar cannot be stored at room temperature. It must be stored in the fridge or freezer.

If you need to freeze caviar, do it only once. Re-freezing will destroy all the properties and taste of the caviar, making it absolutely inedible. Amino acids, vitamins: E and group B, polyunsaturated fatty acids suffer the most from low temperatures. You need to defrost caviar not at room temperature but in the refrigerator. It will take at least 24 hours.

Mistake # 6 — touching caviar with your hands.

Our skin is the habitat of various microbes. Some of them are useful (resident), others are harmless, but pathogenic ones cause harm when they get into certain conditions. By touching the caviar, we enable our microbes to migrate to the product. The consequences can be very different: the delicacy will deteriorate faster, become inedible, etc.

How to Tell If Caviar Is Bad

Here are some simple ways to tell if caviar is spoiled:

• Horrible Smell

The smell of spoiled caviar is simply impossible to confuse with anything as protein breakdown products “smell” so specifically that there is usually no doubt about the product’s spoilage. The bad news is that if the manufacturer or distributor knows in advance that the caviar is spoiled, and try to get rid of bad caviar by selling.

Good, fresh caviar should have only a faint and pleasant smell of the sea. All other aromas, including the smell of rancid fat, alcohol, oxidized metal and rotten fish, are signs of spoiled caviar, which should be in the trash can, not on the festive table.

• Caviar Has a Bitter Taste

While the caviar of some fish (for example, sockeye salmon) is bitter by itself, in the caviar of other fish, there should be no bitterness at all, even a slight aftertaste.

Why can caviar have a bitter taste?

• While cutting the fish, the technology of caviar extraction was violated (the gallbladder was damaged);
• Preservatives prohibited for use were used (in this case, they are not even indicated on the package);
• Fat oxidation occurred because the caviar was in the open air for a long time;
• The caviar was stored incorrectly or subjected to the freezing-thawing processes.

• Caviar Eggs Are Dark

If you see that caviar eggs acquired a dark color or are rotting, throw them away immediately, or you can get severe food poisoning.

• Caviar Is Sticky

The caviar is bad if covered with a slippery, dark-colored mucus that remains on the fingers.

And the last thing. If you have even the slightest doubt that the caviar is spoiled, it is better to throw it away. Believe me, the money lost on an unsuccessful purchase is incomparable with the harm that you inflict on your body by tasting spoiled caviar.