How Long Keep Black Olives After Opening (And Why)?

Exact Answer: About 14 days

Olives are one of the most commonly used ingredients in salads and dishes related to pizza and pasta. But, the amount of olives used is quite small leading to leftovers. Generally, we don’t even prefer to have such dishes regularly. Hence, one might fear that olives may turn bad and unsuitable for use.

People get jars of olives for a long period of time with the plan to store and use them whenever necessary. But, there are chances of spoilage of olives. Hence, it is essential to store them properly.

One can find a variety of olives in the market. Apart from green and black olives, one even needs to be awarded whether he/she wants it to be pitted or loaded with cheese. Once, one buys the desired kind of olives suitable for fitting their purpose, the next step is preservation. Mostly, olives are preserved either in oil or in brine.

How Long Keep Black Olives After Opening?

Olives can be stored anywhere. But, it is essential to ensure that the place of storage is cool as well as dry. One should also note that the container should be kept away from sunlight as much as possible. Direct exposure to heat and light may have unwanted effects on the olives.

Hence, it should be stored carefully to keep such negative factors away. On opening the olive container bought from the market, one should keep it in the refrigerator. The container should be covered properly.

While storing the olives in a jar is easy because they can be covered and sealed. Whereas, it’s not the same while storing it in the can. An airtight container can be the best storage place to preserve the olives. One can even use a rubber band and some foil to cover the container properly.

Inside the container, the olives should be kept in brine. In case, you have forgotten to use brine, you still have an option left. You can mix water and salt in the required proportions to make your own brine. This homemade brine can help store the olives for some weeks.

Olives can even be preserved in oil, apart from brine. Oil is the most commonly used preservative. In fact, it is better than the refrigeration technique to preserve olives. Whenever you wish to use olives, you can open the container and use the number of olives required.

After that, you should remember to seal the jar carefully. Every olive packet has an expiry date. It can be preserved up to that date at maximum. Olives should be consumed within 14 days of use. Sometimes, it can also be stored for up to 12 months.

Why Can I Keep Black Olives For So Long After Opening?

But generally, it is safe to consume olives within 3 weeks of their manufacture date. While unopened olives preserved in brine are suitable for consumption for about 3-6 months. Opened olives preserved in brine are suitable for considering for about 3 weeks.

On the other hand, olives stored in oil are best for about 2 to 4 weeks. The storage precautions and spoilage of most types of olives are the same. Before using the stored olives, some basic checks should be done to ensure that they aren’t spoiled.

In the case of olives stored in a tightly covered bottle, if the bottle’s lid is either popped up instead of being flat normally, the olives must be checked before use. There are even some physical checks which should be done. In case you find some molds on the olives, you can freely remove them and then eat them.

It can also be discarded as per an individual’s choice. Secondly, the smell of the brine can also be used to determine the spoilage of olives. If the smell is changed and feels disgusting in comparison to the brine used earlier, then the olives must have been spoiled.

One can also determine it by the taste. If the olives taste normal and good on being removed from the jar or bottle, then they can be eaten. Changes in taste make the olives inedible. Sometimes, olives stay afresh and edible even after few weeks after the expiry date mentioned on the label.

But, it is best to follow the date mentioned in the table and finish all the olives before it. The shelf life of different types of olives is even different. In the case of olives that come without being submerged in oil, brine, or any such preservative, the shelf life can be extended to few days maximum.

Conclusion

The shelf life of olives mainly depends on the medium of storage. If the olives are stored in an open jar, they can be stored for up to a few months. If the olives are stored in stronger brines, then the shelf life gets increased. The maintenance of hygiene is even necessary.

If one ensures to maintain proper hygiene, then the chances of spoilage are comparatively less. It is even important to keep olives in dark places away from the reach of sunlight. All the necessary checks including the visual check, taste check should be done before using stored olives.

This can be done to prolong the shelf life of the olives. It is best to keep the olives submerged in brine or oil. It is even best to consume the olives before their expiry date mentioned on the label of the packet.

Reference

1. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ejlt.200390046
2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0740002002000801