# If I boiled spoiled milk, could I safely drink it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 11, 2009, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-boiled-spoiled-milk-could-i-safely-drink-it/499419 "2009-06-11T04:46:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-boiled-spoiled-milk-could-i-safely-drink-it/499419/1 "2009-06-11T04:46:54Z")
Assume that I can withstand the taste. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-boiled-spoiled-milk-could-i-safely-drink-it/499419/2 "2009-06-11T05:08:30Z")
What makes you think you couldn’t safely drink it without boiling? ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-boiled-spoiled-milk-could-i-safely-drink-it/499419/3 "2009-06-11T05:22:41Z")
From what I understand, it’s not the botulism organism that causes illness, but the botulism organism’s waste. Boiling does not neutralize this waste. I would guess that the same thing would apply to spoiled milk, but I’m purely speculating here. ---
**Author:** ![Anaglyph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Anaglyph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaglyph)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-boiled-spoiled-milk-could-i-safely-drink-it/499419/4 "2009-06-11T05:41:39Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > From what I understand, it’s not the botulism organism that causes illness, but the botulism organism’s waste. Boiling does not neutralize this waste. > > I would guess that the same thing would apply to spoiled milk, but I’m purely speculating here. Clostridium botulinum, the organism that is responsible for botulism, is an obligatory anaerobic organism. Therefore it grows preferentially in improperly canned goods. If an opened bottle of milk turns sour, your most likely culprits are lactobacilli, organisms which as pure cultures are used for the industrial production of sour milk, yoghurt, sauerkraut or Kimchi ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-boiled-spoiled-milk-could-i-safely-drink-it/499419/5 "2009-06-11T05:47:18Z")
Assuming you don’t retch when you try to drink it, you can drink without boiling it. I used to have me a cat that would wait till the milk in her dish curdled then she’d eat the curds. She loved it. I have heard bodybuilders talk that the fermentation is actually good for your system. But as you know they will eat a lot of weird stuff. On the other hand did you ever drink non-spoiled boiled milk. Once milk is boiled the taste is ruined. That’s why they don’t sterilize it but homogonize it. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-boiled-spoiled-milk-could-i-safely-drink-it/499419/6 "2009-06-11T06:08:20Z")
I’ve used soured milk occasionally for baking or pancakes without any issues. That’s a place where the sourness is actually okay for the dish. Looking online, though, it seems that, while there are plenty of recipes and uses for unintentionally soured pasteurized milk out there, there are conflicting accounts over whether it is safe. [There is a discussion on this site](http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/3235/baking-sour-milk) which seems to conclude that it’s fine. [Wikipedia’s entry](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk#Spoilage_and_fermented_milk_products) claims souring in pasteurized milk is not fine. My anecdotal evidence is that I’ve never encountered any problems with pasteurized milk that has gone off, but I’m wondering what the straight dope on this really is. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-boiled-spoiled-milk-could-i-safely-drink-it/499419/7 "2009-06-11T14:40:28Z")
**Lynn’s** post kind of touched on what I was thinking about when I asked this question. Boiling is a way to kill off harmful organisms, but whatever you boiled would still have a bunch of dead bacterial corpses floating around in it. Spoiled milk would presumably be chock full of nasties. Could it reach a point of being so spoiled that it becomes beyond boiling? ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-boiled-spoiled-milk-could-i-safely-drink-it/499419/8 "2009-06-11T15:16:40Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I’ve used soured milk occasionally for baking or pancakes without any issues. Seconded. When I was a kid my Ma would use milk that went sour to make pudding (the good kind that’s cooked, not instant). Nobody ever got sick or noticed anything tasting funny. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-boiled-spoiled-milk-could-i-safely-drink-it/499419/9 "2009-06-11T16:08:54Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > **Lynn’s** post kind of touched on what I was thinking about when I asked this question. Boiling is a way to kill off harmful organisms, but whatever you boiled would still have a bunch of dead bacterial corpses floating around in it. Spoiled milk would presumably be chock full of nasties. Could it reach a point of being so spoiled that it becomes beyond boiling? If you read this thread carefully, particularly posts No. 4 and 6, you’ll see that spoiling is not related to an increase of the “nasties” that will make you sick. Spoiled milk is edible. I know. When I was a kid, I had a whole bowl of spoiled milk with cereal. No adverse effects. Think about this – foods people eat all the time – sour cream, buttermilk, yogurt, cheese, Hershey’s chocolate – are all essentially spoiled milk. > [@Markxxx](#): > > On the other hand did you ever drink non-spoiled boiled milk. Once milk is boiled the taste is ruined. That’s why they don’t sterilize it but homogonize it. You mean they pasteurize it – heating it to less-than-boiling levels. Homogenization is about preventing the fat from separating out. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-boiled-spoiled-milk-could-i-safely-drink-it/499419/10 "2009-06-11T16:26:53Z")
Anecdote – I am a cheap SOB, and I use just-past-the-date milk in cereal fairly regularly (maybe once or twice a month). Been doing this for several years. Haven’t noticed any ill effects. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-boiled-spoiled-milk-could-i-safely-drink-it/499419/11 "2009-06-11T16:28:08Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > If you read this thread carefully, particularly posts No. 4 and 6, you’ll see that spoiling is not related to an increase of the “nasties” that will make you sick. Spoiled milk is edible. I know. When I was a kid, I had a whole bowl of spoiled milk with cereal. No adverse effects. Are you saying spoiled milk never contains harmful bacteria? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-boiled-spoiled-milk-could-i-safely-drink-it/499419/12 "2009-06-11T16:35:01Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > Are you saying spoiled milk never contains harmful bacteria? No, in the same way that I am not saying that unspoiled milk never contains harmful bacteria. I’m saying that the fact of it’s being spoiled is not an indication that there is a likelihood of more harmful bacteria than if it had not been spoiled. It’s merely an indication of the presence of lactobacilli, which are generally not harmful. I forgot to address this point. > [@](#): > > whatever you boiled would still have a bunch of dead bacterial corpses floating around in it What do you think pasteurization does? Absolutely fresh milk out of the cow is full of live and dead bacteria. Pasteurization converts a significant proportion of the live harmful bacteria to bacterial corpses. Live and dead bacteria are everywhere all the time, including in perfectly good, just purchased milk. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-boiled-spoiled-milk-could-i-safely-drink-it/499419/13 "2009-06-11T16:37:48Z")
Yeah. This is against everything my mom ever told me. Now, I realize that not all spoiled milk will kill/sicken people, but the stories I’ve been told equate spoiled milk with hamburger disease - sure, you may not get sick if you don’t properly cook your burgers, but do it enough and you’ll get sick. If you drink spoiled milk enough, it will make you sick. This is really interesting and I eagerly await the straight dope - is there nothing dangerous in spoiled milk? ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-boiled-spoiled-milk-could-i-safely-drink-it/499419/14 "2009-06-11T16:45:33Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > What do you think pasteurization does? Absolutely fresh milk out of the cow is full of live and dead bacteria. Pasteurization converts a significant proportion of the live harmful bacteria to bacterial corpses. Live and dead bacteria are everywhere all the time, including in perfectly good, just purchased milk. I get that. I’m asking if there can ever be a point where bacteria have so thoroughly taken over that even if you boiled it and killed all the bacteria it still wouldn’t be safe to drink. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-boiled-spoiled-milk-could-i-safely-drink-it/499419/15 "2009-06-11T17:21:04Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > I get that. I’m asking if there can ever be a point where bacteria have so thoroughly taken over that even if you boiled it and killed all the bacteria it still wouldn’t be safe to drink. IANAD or a microbiologist … but my understanding is that, absent production of specific toxins, ingestion of 100% pure dead-bacteria paté (no fillers) would be absolutely, completely safe. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-boiled-spoiled-milk-could-i-safely-drink-it/499419/16 "2009-06-11T17:35:53Z")
Which makes me wonder – What would a loaf of pure, dead bacteria look like? ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-boiled-spoiled-milk-could-i-safely-drink-it/499419/17 "2009-06-11T17:48:20Z")
It depends on the type of milk. Full fat milk, non-homogenized milk will turn into [thick-milk](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soured_milk) that’s usually safe to eat and has been a staple for centuries. If you want to be sure that the right “good” bacteria are inside, you can add a starter from thick milk or similar. Then only the “good” bacteria will multiply. However, if you let homogenized - where the fat has been seperated into tiny particles - and pasteurized milk stand around too long, it will turn into a different kind of rotten milk. It tastes badly, and while I don’t know if it’s dangerous, I don’t like to drink it because of the bad taste. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-boiled-spoiled-milk-could-i-safely-drink-it/499419/18 "2009-06-11T18:06:07Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > Which makes me wonder – What would a loaf of pure, dead bacteria look like? [Basically like teeth scrapings](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_plaque) – yum! > [@](#): > > Dental plaque is biofilm (usually colorless) that builds up on the teeth. If not removed regularly, it can lead to dental cavities (caries) or periodontal problems (such as gingivitis). > > The microorganisms that form the biofilm are almost entirely bacteria (mainly Streptococcus mutans and anaerobes), with the composition varying by location in the mouth. Examples of such anaerobes include fusobacterium and Actinobacteria. ---
**Author:** ![muchmark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/41988e/32.png) [@muchmark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muchmark)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-boiled-spoiled-milk-could-i-safely-drink-it/499419/19 "2009-06-11T18:18:29Z")
As a kid my grandmother would make an Indian desert similar to rasmalai with spoiled milk. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-boiled-spoiled-milk-could-i-safely-drink-it/499419/20 "2009-06-11T18:19:11Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > [Basically like teeth scrapings](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_plaque) – yum! Yep. I can confirm this… in fact I just made up a few plates of dead bacteria to feed to my worms. In larger volumes, the stuff has a consistency like caulk. Or peanut butter. > [@](#): > > IANAD or a microbiologist … but my understanding is that, absent production of specific toxins, ingestion of 100% pure dead-bacteria paté (no fillers) would be absolutely, completely safe. True, except there are plenty of cases where there will always be toxins. Staphylococcus (present on your skin, and in some amount on every bit of food you eat) always produce endotoxins. These happen to be structural components for the bacteria, not used to infect or harm us, but they’re compounds that are recognized by our immune system as foreign. Get a high enough quantity, and the endotoxins provoke our bodies to empty out our digestive system by any means necessary. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-boiled-spoiled-milk-could-i-safely-drink-it/499419.md?page=2)