How to know when your gel food color is already stale?

You’re about to put color on your frosting. You open the bottle of gel color and realize that something is wrong with it. Is your gel color stale? Should you use it (because you just bought it last month) or throw it away? 

To help you decide, I made a list of indications that your gel color must go inside the trash:

1. It’s over the best before date. Sometimes you won’t be able to see this date anymore because it has been covered with color so better to get a sticker label, write the name of gel color and the date of expiry. Stick the label on the box/container of your food color. If the expiration date arrived and the gel still looks ok, you still have to throw it away. Remember, microogranisms are so small to be seen by the naked eye. 2. A shiny film has developed on it. To check if your gel is still good, look at it under the light. Move the container in different angles. If a shiny film appears, throw it away.

3. The texture has changed. Well, it’s a gel, so it must look like one. When the consistency turns flowing or coagulated (namumuo; see 2nd pic), it might be an indication that it’s starting to deteriorate. 

4. Molds start to appear on top of the gel. When molds appear on your gel color, please do not attempt to scrape them off and use the remaining gel. You won’t be able to take off all the molds so the gel is still considered as contaminated. It’s better to buy a new bottle that costs more or less Php100 than to lose the trust of your customers. Some tips: -Buy tube type/squeeze bottle gel colors to lessen contamination. -Put together all gel colors in a sealable container. Do not mix with other tools/ingredients. -Store them inside the fridge (not freezer) so that they won’t be exposed to changing room temperatures that promote development of molds and microorganisms.