More About Food Safety

While we can generally rely on the best before dates for food products,  we should still be aware of how to distinguish signs of food spoilage.

What determines that a food is still safe to eat:

While not everyone has a lab and the time to conduct microbiological tests for every food we eat is not very practical, here are some of the tell-tale signs of food spoilage.

Signs of Food Spoilage to look out for

• Discolouration 
• Spotting
• Mould
• Bloated packaging 
• Bloating is a clear indication that bacteria are present inside the packet. Bacteria feed on the contents of the pouch and produce gas. Since this gas cannot escape from the sealed packet, it accumulates inside and causes the pouch to be bloated.

• Bad odour
• When food goes bad and starts to become pungent, it is most often due to the growth of spoilage microbes such as bacteria, yeasts and mould. Odours can come from two sources: chemicals that are released from the food as the microbes decompose it, or chemicals produced directly by the microbes themselves.
• Sour taste
• May not be an accurate indication as malic acid is a common additive added to food to regulate the product’s acidity to prolong the shelf life. It is commonly used in shelf stable long shelf life udon sold in supermarkets. Hence it is common to hear that udon tastes sour even though it is not spoiled.  

Every batch of product is stored in our QAQC (Quality assurance) department. If an incident happens, the affected product from the batch is taken for lab test to determine the product integrity.

Fresh Noodles Shelf Life

The typical shelf life of most cooked noodles such as Yellow Noodles and Kway Teow is only around 2 to 3 days when kept in ambient condition in our hot and humid climate.

LG Pasteurized Noodles

LG range of cooked noodles have a shelf life of 1 month when stored without refrigeration. In order to achieve that without the use of preservatives, the noodles are treated with heat pasteurization, and in some products the addition of malic acid - an organic compound found naturally in Apples. The usage of Malic Acid in food may impart an acidic profile. To reduce flavour profile, we recommend blanching the noodles in boiling water for 10-15 seconds before usage. 

With the increased shelf life, we are able to make our products accessible and convenient for more to enjoy.

Tips for prolonging the shelf life

if you are unable to finish a packet in the same day:

• Chill in the refrigerator
• Do note that for rice noodles, there will be a slight difference in texture after chilling.
• Freezing
• To ensure optimal taste and texture, we recommend only freezing Yellow Noodles and Wholegrain Noodles

Money back guarantee

At LG, we stand by the integrity of our products and offer a money back guarantee for product spoilage before the best before dates.