So I’m feeling a bit under the weather, and nothing is so comforting and soothing as V8 (particularly the spicy hot formula) on a sore throat. It’s like it stings so bad it numbs the area, or something. Anyway…
I reached into the fridge and found an old bottle. It had been sitting for a while, so I checked its expiration: August 2003. Well, sweet! So I pour a nice healthy glass, take a sip, and manage to swallow about a teaspoon before spitting the rest out of my mouth…it was carbonated! (Or otherwise saturated with a gas.)
Now first things first, I find myself concerned that I did something dumb to my body and will end up with some weird food poisoning condition. I tried calling the 800 number on the bottle, but they’re closed until tomorrow. I’ve emailed them, but who knows how long a reply will be in coming–so here I am! I have no symptoms, and am honestly only slightly alarmed.
As much as checking to make sure I’m not going to be barfing up my digestive tract, I wanted to check in with you Dopers and see if any of you have any idea what chemical and/or physical changes the V8 underwent to result in the bizarre bubbly state.
Bacteria or possibly yeast fermenting the V8 made CO[sub]2[/sub] gas which dissolved under pressure. Happens any time sugars are present. Cold only slows down fermentation, it doesn’t stop it.
I have had orange juice go “fizzy” and found the taste quite pleasant (I was a child, I didn’t know any better. Now I would just pour it down the sink). I doubt very much if it will cause you any harm.
Don’t yeast need a fair amount oxygen to ferment (more than is available in a factory sealed bottle … or is it an anaerobic process… or was the bottle previously opened and re-sealed?
No, yeast are anaerobic. However a factory-sealed bottle ought not to ferment. I’d guess it had been previously opened, although contamination at the factory isn’t out of the question. It need not be yeast, either. Many types of bacteria can cause fermentation with a gaseous byproduct, usually along with vinegar production. This happens often in ketchup that’s been kept too long.
A note of relevance: This bottle had been previously opened. It was old, but I went by the expiration date when trusting my innards with the fizzy stuff, if ever so briefly.
Ruffian: Expiration dates, whether on drugs or food, are usually determined (if they’re experimentally determined at all) using unopened containers. Once it’s been opened (and especially if it’s been touching your mouth), all bets are off.
Derleth: I think it would be more of a V8 emetic, but to each his own.
“Come quickly, brothers: I’m tasting vomit!”
[poking the dessicated corpse of Derleth’s post] “That’s odd, it was funny a minute ago.” “Odd, my foot! Nametag the humor vampire has been here!”
I’ve had this happen with a half-used bottle of Heinz ketchup before. As I unscrewed the cap, I heard a loud pop and ketchup came shooting out of the bottle as though i’d just opened a shaken-up soda can. Needless to say, I threw out the ketchup.