Condiments question: does ketchup spoil?
Once the seal has been broken/the cap removed, air enters the ketchup and decay starts. ALL food decays but we use various methods – refrigeration, freezing, airtight seals, canning, salting, immersion in vinegar- or sugar-based solutions, irradiation, vacuum packing, etc – to preserve foodstuffs for longer than they would if left in the open air. Once the seal/cap is opened, or food defrosts or gets warm, air and bacteria will spoil it. With high protein foods – eggs, cream, milk, butter, meats, etc – this decay is fairly quick. Most food packaging will tell you to consume it before a certain time elapses once it’s been opened (usually just 48 hours to 4 days). Ketchup is very stable and will keep in an opened (and then recapped!) bottle for weeks or longer…but if emptied into an open container (a bowl, for example) and left out in the sun it should be thrown away. If a bottle of ketchup (with the lid/top left on between uses) was left in the sun, however, it should be fine. Maybe b
