Using expired gels

[SwissVan]

19 hours ago, ouzo said:

I use 32Gi gels.

I bought in bulk probably late 2019 early 2020. I see now that they expire this month.

what are the dangers of using expired gels ?

(b.t.w. I saw the pack of serviettes the wife bought also have an expiry date ????)

I bought a bulk load of 32GI products in 2014.... the gels were all consumed before they expired but I still have tubs of powder and those tablet tubes which expired in 2015 and 2016 left ( I don’t ride far enough often enough to justify energy supple????????ments )

Lately I’ve been doing some hard hill TT efforts and started using the race and endure tabs (expiry April 2016) during and after, they still taste and look fine and no negative side effects.

sorry I know it’s not the same as gels, but as someone mentioned earlier if they are sealed and not exhibiting any “puffing up” they should be ok. 

To be safe you could just try a small amount and wait and see the effects ????

 

[Kameel]

I recently bought two GU gels at a well known bike shop. Shortly afterwards, on the day of using them, I realised they have expired about 5 months ago.

Still used them. Was the same as always for me.

[MrJacques]

Eating History (TV Series 2020) - IMDb

[Danger Dassie]

Generally fine, storage is also pretty important though, more depending on ingredients like natural sugars for example. If they’ve been sitting in your cupboard, fine. If they’ve been sitting in the sun or transported around in hot cars and the like. Not the best.

Got horribly sick from one at an event a while back. Gels were actually left over from a previous event half a year before.

[OVERDRIVE]

THROW AWAY 

[W@nted]

I am currently using expired gels during training, no issues so far...

however, I did have one nasty incident with an expired GU gel. That thing was nasty and came out quicker than I consumed it...

[CAAD4]

I was once stung by a long expired, extra caffeine Whasp (remember them?) Sachet. Man it was awesome sprinting on my own, in my own world, for 458th...

[IceCreamMan]

Its sugars with a bit of water....it will be fine in the dystopian future where max will suck em back to stay alive.

[shahilj]

How Long Could You SURVIVE Locked In A Grocery Store?

This video will definitely not answer your question directly. However, I found it interesting that specific foods do not have an expiry in terms of the foods losing nutritional value. They will taste different, or break down but still have nutrients which could sustain you.

In terms of the gels, it very much depends on the gel. The more sugar, the longer these should last if stored well. The quality of the packaging also matters. The cocktail of chemicals would also matter. Gels are packed with various nutrients and vitamins and some of these break down into something that will upset you. So weirdly, the cheaper ones may actually be okay whereas the complicated, specially formulated ones may give issues.

As has been mentioned by many in this thread, always eat with your senses - if it looks or smells uninviting, do not eat it.

I've used expired nutrition before and it's turned out okay. But none of them look, felt, or had a weird smell so I was pretty lucky. AND I usually will pop a probiotic before the ride to ensure I have enough gut bacteria to support me if anything does go badly during a ride.

[Mark James]

For gels: 6-12 months expired, shouldn't be a problem at all.... 

More than 12-18+ months expired, probably best to chuck them