How to store milk powder after opening the can How to store milk powder after opening the can

In our daily life, we often see that many people have the habit of making milk powder to drink. Drinking milk regularly has many benefits to our health. After opening the milk powder, it needs to be consumed as soon as possible to avoid it going bad.

To ensure that every mouthful of milk your baby eats is fresh and not spoiled, the preservation of milk powder after opening is a critical step. Since infant milk powder is rich in nutrition and protein, rich protein and nutrition are the hotbed for bacterial growth and reproduction, and it is also easy to attract insects. Consumers must pay attention to the preservation of milk powder after opening.

1. Remove the isolation film from canned milk powder

Before opening the can, carefully check whether the outer packaging of the milk powder is damaged, broken, or leaking. If so, do not feed it to your baby. When opening the can, find the opening mark and open the can. After opening the can lid, tear off the isolation film.

Please note that the isolation film will no longer work after opening, and keeping it may cause contamination.

2. Don’t make the opening of the boxed milk powder too big

Generally speaking, there is another layer of bag inside the boxed milk powder, and its sealing is not as good as that of canned milk powder. Therefore, when opening the package, do not make a large opening, and the opening should be large enough for the milk powder spoon to go in and out. This way, each time you take out the milk powder, you can reduce the contact with bacteria in the air, which is beneficial to the preservation of the milk powder. After taking out the milk powder, remember to seal the bag and box again.

3. Do not put bagged milk powder in old milk powder cans

Some mothers like to pour the bagged milk powder into the old milk powder cans for storage, and then throw away the bags. In fact, this practice is not advisable. Even if the empty milk powder cans are cleaned very well, there are still some old milk powder in the gaps. At this time, if fresh milk powder is poured into it, cross contamination may occur, allowing bacteria to multiply.

4. Prevent water droplets from entering the milk powder

To prevent the milk powder from getting damp, everyone should wipe their hands dry when making the milk powder. After taking out the milk powder, immediately cover the lid or tie the bag tightly to prevent water droplets from entering the milk powder.

If there are lumps in the milk powder, you can use a spoon to gently tap it. If the lumps are broken up, it means that the milk powder is fine and you can feed it to your baby without worry. But if the lumps are big and hard or moldy, don't feed it to your baby.

You can also try putting a few sugar cubes in the milk powder can, which can effectively absorb moisture and prevent the milk powder from spoiling.

5. Clean mixing station:

Qualified milk powder that has been inspected by the quality department and properly stored generally does not contain pathogenic bacteria. However, the process of preparing milk powder is also a link where bacteria can be easily introduced. Therefore, you must first ensure that the place where you prepare the milk powder is clean and hygienic to avoid the introduction of bacteria during the preparation process.

6. Wash your hands before making milk:

When preparing milk powder, mothers' hands are in close contact with the milk powder and feeding utensils. As we all know, hands are most easily contaminated with bacteria, so mothers must wash their hands before preparing milk powder to ensure that their hands are clean and avoid bringing bacteria into the milk powder can and contaminating the milk powder.

7. Store the spoon properly:

The milk powder spoon is another anti-fouling point that is easy to introduce bacteria. If the milk powder you buy happens to have a design for placing a milk powder spoon, it is naturally the most convenient and trouble-free. If the milk powder does not have a design for placing a milk powder spoon, it is best not to put the measuring spoon into the can bag after use, but to keep it separately.

3. Storage of milk powder after mixing

1. Prepare and use the formula as soon as possible. For convenience, you can also prepare several bottles of milk at a time, but be sure to cover the prepared milk powder and immediately put it in the refrigerator for storage. Prepared formula milk powder should be used up within 12 hours.

2. If the remaining milk is small, it is best to pour it out. If the remaining amount is large, it can be stored in the refrigerator, but not for too long, it is best to pour it out within 1 hour.

3. After taking out the milk from the refrigerator, it is advisable to heat it thoroughly before drinking. Do not use a microwave to heat the milk, so as to avoid scalding the baby's mouth with partially overheated milk.

1. Do I need to keep the isolation film after opening the milk powder?

The answer is no! The function of the isolation film is to isolate the milk powder from the outside world before it is opened, ensuring the hygiene and safety of the milk powder. Once the milk powder is opened, the isolation film will no longer have the effect of isolation, so just tear it off and discard it. If you keep it, it may increase the risk of milk powder contamination.

2. Does the opened milk powder need to be placed in the refrigerator?

The answer is no! Many parents think that since we adults keep our food in the refrigerator, milk powder should be able to be treated the same way. But this is wrong! The refrigerator is a closed, low-temperature and extremely humid environment, with temperature and humidity differences from the outside world. If milk powder is stored in the refrigerator for a long time, it is very easy to get damp, clump, and deteriorate. In addition, there are many bacteria in the refrigerator, which may contaminate the milk powder after opening the can.

3. Do I need to cover the milk powder cover immediately after taking the milk powder?

The answer is yes! Parents should remember that the milk powder cap must be closed in time. Do not forget to close the cap just because you are in a hurry to feed your baby. Also, not only should the cap be closed in time after the milk powder is used up, but also it should not be opened before making milk powder. It should be opened after pouring water into the bottle to scoop out the milk powder. In short, it is necessary to reduce the time the milk powder cap is open to avoid excessive contact between the milk powder and the air, and reduce the possibility of foreign matter entering the milk powder can.

Myth 1: Break up the hard lumps and continue drinking

Normal milk powder should be loose and soft. If you can break up the lumps with a spoon, the milk powder can be fed to the baby. But if large and hard lumps have formed, it means the milk powder has gone bad. Do not break it up and let the baby continue to drink it. The nutrients in the lumped milk powder have already changed, which is not conducive to the healthy growth of the baby.

Myth: 2: Keep the isolation film after opening

After opening the lid of the can of milk powder, there will be a layer of isolation film on it that needs to be torn off. Some mothers will continue to keep the isolation film and not tear it off completely before throwing it away, thinking that doing so can protect the milk powder from moisture. In fact, the isolation film has lost its isolation function after being torn off, and keeping it will only increase the risk of contaminating the milk powder in the can.

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Myth 3: Milk powder is placed in the refrigerator

Many mothers are worried about the expensive milk powder going bad, so they like to put the opened milk powder in the refrigerator. You should know that the refrigerator is a small, closed, low-temperature and humid environment with temperature and humidity differences inside and outside. If you put the milk powder in the refrigerator, it will be easily damp, lumpy and deteriorate. Moreover, the refrigerator is not a sterile box, and there will be a lot of bacteria inside, which can contaminate the milk powder through the gaps after the can is opened.

Misconception 4: Cover the milk powder lid after making the milk

Some mothers always habitually prepare milk powder for their babies first, and then cover the can. This is easy to breed bacteria. After the milk powder spoon scoops out the milk powder, the lid must be closed immediately. The spoon and milk powder should also be stored separately to prevent the spoon from getting wet when it touches the bottle and causing the milk powder to get damp.

Myth 5: Pour excess milk powder into the milk powder can

New mothers may not be able to control the amount of milk powder at the beginning, and may accidentally add a little more when scooping milk powder, but they don't want to waste it, so they have to pour it back into the milk powder can. The milk powder taken out cannot be put back into the milk powder can because it has come into contact with utensils such as the milk powder scoop and the milk bottle, and the water vapor in the milk bottle can easily be contaminated with bacteria.

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At present, there are three types of milk powder on the market: canned, boxed and bagged. Although the packaging is different, the production principle of the product is to use high temperature and high pressure to spray the formula milk from micropores through spray drying, so that it can be dried into solid particles in a short time. Don't think that the milk powder can be placed at will in a sealed state before it is opened. Pay attention to the storage conditions before it is opened, which also plays an important role in maintaining the quality of the milk powder. Let's take a look at what conditions should be met in the place where the unopened milk powder is stored?

1. Room temperature

Some mothers think that the refrigerator can keep milk fresh, so they put the unopened milk powder they bought in the refrigerator. In fact, as long as the milk powder is within the shelf life, it is more conducive to the preservation of milk powder at room temperature.

2. Avoid light

Milk powder should be kept away from light, because light will destroy the vitamins and other nutrients in the milk powder. If some mothers like to use beautiful transparent glass jars to pack milk powder, they should stick light-shielding paper on the outside.

3. Drying

Although unopened milk powder is sealed and generally not susceptible to moisture, it is still not conducive to the preservation of milk powder in a humid environment for a long time. The iron cans of canned milk powder are also prone to rust in moisture.

4. Cool

Some nutrients in milk powder have poor thermal stability, such as vitamins. Long-term storage at high temperatures will affect the quality of the milk powder, so mothers should pay special attention to storing the milk powder in a cool place.