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.
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 vinegar mother, 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.
If your bottle of vinegar has been hanging around for a considerable amount of time, sediment may form which will in turn give the liquid a hazy appearance. This is completely harmless and has no effect on the flavor of the vinegar.
As vinegar ages, it may undergo aesthetic changes, such as becoming hazy or separating. You may also notice cloudy sediments or fibers at the bottom of the bottle.
What: Slimy strings and globs at the bottom of a jar of vinegar. What it is: They may look gross, but these little blobs of goop are what's known as “mother of vinegar”—essentially, they're clumps of the bacteria and yeast combo that turns alcohol into vinegar.
Distilled white vinegar is the one most often used in cleaning, for its antibacterial properties. It's made from feeding oxygen to a vodka-like grain alcohol, causing bacteria to grow and acetic acid to form.
Almost Indefinite Shelf Life
Vinegar is a fermented product and has an “almost indefinite” shelf life according to the Vinegar Institute [1]. “Because of its acid nature, vinegar is self-preserving and does not need refrigeration. White distilled vinegar will remain virtually unchanged over an extended period of time.
If you're asking if it will kill, or at the very least sicken, you, no. Vinegar, whether it's white, red wine, white wine, balsamic or that fancy tarragon stuff, is by nature self-preserving. Nothing can live in something that acidic.
To use a mother of vinegar, you mix it with an alcoholic liquid that you want to turn into vinegar. It is possible to turn all kinds of low-alcohol drinks into vinegar. Traditionally, vinegar is made from wine, beer, cider, fruit wine, etc. However, vinegar can also be produced by diluting strong alcohol (vodka, rum).
Mother of vinegar is a colony of bacteria (don't gasp). These are the good bacteria called Acetobacter. They perform the same purpose for making vinegar as yeast does to make wine. They form the mother on the surface since they require oxygen to convert wine to vinegar and the surface is where the air is at.
For less acidic items (generally high-end products like balsamic or wine vinegars) they're going to be less self-preserving, and popping them into the refrigerator can help keep their flavor consistent.
A vinegar mother is a gelatinous disc that looks like a slice of wobbly raw liver. It's composed of a form of cellulose and acetic acid bacteria (mycoderma aceti) that develops on fermenting alcoholic liquids, and turns alcohol into acetic acid with a little help from some oxygen in the air.
Normal vinegar concentration (usually around 5% acetic acid) is too acidic to grow mold in the vinegar itself. Mold can sometimes grow on the bottle or on the surface of the vinegar. It isn't dangerous and can be wiped/skimmed off.
These slowly form a translucent "mother of vinegar" that floats on the surface, gradually thickening until it sinks in a gelatinous mass to the bottom of the container, where it can be ignored until you feel like cleaning it out.
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!
For culinary purposes, using unfiltered apple cider vinegar produces better flavor. ACV with the mother contains natural probiotics. Removing the mother also removes the threads of probiotic-dense and enzyme-rich bacteria, which might present some health benefits.
Well, the mother is made up of strains of friendly bacteria, which help to keep your digestive and immune systems working well. This, in turn, helps your body to make the most of the food you eat and works to balance any bad bacteria to help stop you from getting unwell.
It can help control infections, neutralize bad odors, soften the skin, hydrate feet, and calm itching. Apple cider vinegar is rich in acids and antifungal ingredients that can help regulate the pH balance of our skin. Simply add a cup of vinegar to a bowl of warm water and soak your feet for 15 to 20 minutes.
What does bad vinegar smell like? And if you get my drift, acetaldehyde in concentration smells a lot like acetone. So the acetone smell is what happens when the reaction to make vinegar isn't completely finished. Many bacteria just make acetaldehyde and then start creating the pungent odor.
These two common household materials can serve as natural cleaners to remove grime and keep your surfaces clean. Because vinegar and baking soda are on opposite ends of the pH scale, they can be combined and used as effective cleaning solutions.
Shelf Life Tips
To maximize the shelf life of distilled white vinegar, keep the bottle tightly sealed after opening. Properly stored, distilled white vinegar will stay safe indefinitely without a loss of quality.
Store your vinegar in a cool dark place such as your pantry or a kitchen cabinet. Once opened, keep your vinegar in its original container. Put back the lid or cap of your vinegar immediately after using.
The set time for vinegar can be up to 30 minutes. For example, to clean the insides of food-stained pots and pans, soak them in a mixture of one-half cup of white vinegar diluted with one gallon of water for 30 minutes. Then rinse in hot, soapy water.
Because vinegar is high in acid, it does not support the growth of Clostridium botulinum bacteria. However, some vinegars may support the growth of Escherichia coli bacteria.