When you find a bit of stringy sediment, large or small, in a bottle of vinegar don't fret. In fact — congratulations — you have a mother. A mother of vinegar, that is. Yes, it looks rather grungy and scary, floating on the top of the vinegar like that, but this spongy mass of bacteria is completely harmless.
When pasteurization is incomplete or the vinegar is re-inoculated with vinegar bacteria from the air after opening, a slimy, amorphous blob or substance will form and float near the bottom. This is a vinegar mother and is just bacteria that feeds on alcoholic liquids.
Wine vinegar has a wide range of normal behaviour: it can get cloudy* or develop sediment, and that's normal. Even filtered vinegar can develop cloudiness and still be perfectly safe.
According to The Vinegar Institute, white distilled vinegar will remain virtually unchanged over an extended time. And, while other types of vinegar may experience changes in color or the development of a haze or sediment, these are only aesthetic changes that won't negatively impact usage.
Have you ever wondered what the floaters are in your apple cider vinegar? In short - it is GOOD FOR YOU! All that gunk is microorganisms, like bacteria and fungi, called the 'mother'. You can actually see it listed on the label sometimes. This is my favorite ACV (https://amzn.to/3twAh4X). Probiotics have been.
Once opened and exposed to air, however, harmless “vinegar bacteria” may start to grow. This bacteria causes the formation of a cloudy sediment that is nothing more than harmless cellulose, a complex carbohydrate that does not affect the quality of the vinegar or its flavor.
Occasionally, you may find a gelatinous disc in your bottle of vinegar. This is called mother of vinegar. Although it may look unappealing, it is completely harmless.
Though there's no expiration, there is a sort of "sweet spot" for vinegar storage, and it varies by the type. For wine vinegars, balsamic, and rice vinegar it's about 2-3 years, whereas apple cider vinegar is 5 years; and distilled white is, well, whenever the apocalypse is.
If you're noticing a general cloudiness in your vinegar, that's your signal to buy a new bottle. “When the vinegar starts getting cloudy, or the flavor is off, then oxidation has significantly changed the quality of the product,” explains Regusci. “But I wouldn't say spoiled, I would say low-quality.”
“It's a little bit of sediment from the apples themselves, and it's also vinegar mother,” which is a natural by-product of the fermentation process. “The vinegar mother grows over time, and that's usually the swirly stuff that people see at the bottom of the bottle.”
How Do I Know if Apple Cider Vinegar Has Gone Bad? Although apple cider vinegar can never really go bad, it can undergo some physical changes over time. As it ages, it may become cloudier and produce more sediment, especially in unfiltered vinegar.
Some species produce pigments on solid growth medium and can produce different types of polysaccharides. These bacteria are found in substrates containing sugar and/or ethanol, such as fruit juices, wine, cider, beer, and vinegar.
What's happening in there? A chemical reaction between the vinegar and the baking soda produces bubbles of carbon dioxide gas. The dish detergent in the vinegar helps the bubbles last longer than they would with just vinegar and baking soda.
A vinegar mother is a gelatinous disc that looks like a slice of wobbly raw liver.
That is what is known as “The Mother.” All raw apple cider vinegar has it, and it is incredibly healthy. This is what is formed during the fermentation period, and basically has probiotics which help your digestion. Think healthy bacteria.
When you find a bit of stringy sediment, large or small, in a bottle of vinegar don't fret. In fact — congratulations — you have a mother. A mother of vinegar, that is. Yes, it looks rather grungy and scary, floating on the top of the vinegar like that, but this spongy mass of bacteria is completely harmless.
To preserve a consistent flavor profile, it's not a bad idea to store your vinegar in a cool, dark place, such as the aforementioned cabinet, but it's not necessary to put it in the fridge.
The next time you go shopping for vinegar, be sure to read the label carefully. Look for the percentage of acid, and while you're at it make sure you don't buy “apple cider flavored vinegar”—distilled vinegar with flavor chemicals added—in place of true cider vinegar.
White distilled vinegar will remain virtually unchanged over an extended period of time. And, while some changes can be observed in other types of vinegars, such as color changes or the development of a haze or sediment, this is only an aesthetic change. The product can still be used and enjoyed with confidence.”
It would be very unusual for molds to grow in vinegar, since vinegar is one of the agents used to control molds.
When the vinegar bottle is opened, harmless vinegar bacteria start to grow. That's where the cloudiness comes from. This cloudiness/sediment has no effect on the flavor of the vinegar. You can get rid of the sediment/cloudiness by straining the vinegar through a coffee filter.
Mother of vinegar can also form in store-bought vinegar if there is some residual sugar, leftover yeast and bacteria and/or alcohol contained in the vinegar. This is more common in unpasteurized vinegar, since the pasteurization might not stabilize the process completely.
Unlike the filtered vinegar, unfiltered vinegar contains sediment which is referred to as “the mother,” a leftover bacteria from the fermentation process, similar to sediment in kombucha. Hence, you first gotta shake the bottle to get the complete organic liquid mixed up. So, shake it, then you make it!
If your research-tested recipe does not specify a particular type of vinegar, you may safely use either white or cider vinegar as long as it is labeled as 5% acidity. Sometimes it is labeled as 50 grain. Specialty vinegars include red or white wine vinegar, malt vinegar, balsamic, and other flavored vinegars.