One for Paul, I suspect.

What is the maximum shelf life of a tub of Hi-Nu-Val, still sealed, and Complete Food Oil that has been kept permanently in a fridge?

....forever at those prices!

How old is it ?

Oil what is the oil that you talk of ?

The Hi Nu Val I assume from the way you talk is in powder from, from what I recall from years ago when I used to make my own High protein baits, some of the ingredients had a shelf life of about six months and thats why it costs what it costs.

I have seen containers/ bags of bait in tackle shops that judging by state of the containers/bags should have been binned years ago.

You know the rule that you should follow ?

If in any doubt throw it out.

The oil if it is a bottle of oil that you talk of will smell wrong, strange thing to say but I think if you smell it you would know what I mean. I had a bottle of pure salmon oil that had been kept in a cool dark cupboard, after a few months it just did not smell right.

Chris s.

[This message has been edited by Chris S (edited 11-09-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Chris S (edited 11-09-2000).]

Tony,

I don't know if the oil will make a difference, but Martin Hooper was photographed on the front page of the Anglers Mail (July 1st) with a big Chub caught using a boilie made from a fishmeal base he has been dipping into for 15 years!

Bill

quote:

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Originally posted by happyhammer:
Tony,

I don't know if the oil will make a difference, but Martin Hooper was photographed on the front page of the Anglers Mail (July 1st) with a big Chub caught using a boilie made from a fishmeal base he has been dipping into for 15 years!

Bill

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Then he should know better should`nt he.

That fishmeal must be rancid, but then people do not respect the fish they fish for or are concerned about what goes into their bait as long as it catches.

Having your picture on the front page of Anglers Mail makes it all OK I suppose. PAH !

Chris S.

[This message has been edited by Chris S (edited 11-09-2000).]

If you had a lake / pond in your garden / grounds with thousands of pounds of carp in it, you would not fed it to them so do not feed it to others

Chris S

That's me well and truly slapped down, eh Chris!

I wasn't advocating the use of rancid bait, just saying what I'd read.

Bill

The oil should keep for a couple of years if unopened,as a guide look at the use-by dates on a good quality virgin olive oil or similar in a supermarket.
The Hi-Nu-Val i only use for hookbaits and buy by the 1.5kg bags so between floaters and boilees it gets used up pretty quickly and any left goes into the next freebie mix.
If unopened and stored away from damp or excessive heat changes where it could "sweat" it should be okay for a season although milks are better used straight away.
Do you already have this tub,or are buying it off someone you know or as a shelf clearance item from a shop.If the latter two are the case it wants to be at a cheap price.
If your still not sure try it on a pastie water to see the results.
Still the best mix for corkball pop-ups in my humble opinion

I would confidently say that Hi-Nu-Val if kept in a dark and cool area has a shelf life of twelve months.
After that time, the vitamins and minerals will start to slowly denature. Lactalbumin (NZ) was often a problem in terms of shelf-life, but sufficient bakers and manufacturers complained about this with the result that this now has a stable a life as other milk proteins at 12-18 months, stored in the correct conditions.
I am not sure what the oil you mention is as I have never used/looked into it. Twelve months with any manufactured fish oil is a good guide, regardless of any added anti-oxidants (many contain natural anti-oxidants - Vit E )
At the outside eighteen months, if stored correctly, but that is just rule of thumb. I personally, would discard any oil after 12 months, regardless of storage conditions.

[This message has been edited by Paul Selman (edited 11-09-2000).]

Quick question then... How do we know when 12/18/24/36/48/1000 months have expired when there's no sell by/use by date on it... How long has it been in the tackle shop?
Just a thought....
Happy Carping

Good point Pete, It's time the bait suppliers started listening to us and putting either a date of manufacture or use by date on all packaging...
What do you think Paul?

Thanks for the responses lads.
The sealed tub of Hi-Nu-Val dates back to early winter 1998, when I was using substantial quantities in bait trials. This was supplied directly by Bill Cottam and Richard Skidmore, so there are no grey areas as to its date of origin.
Sad, I know, but one tub, kept in a dark storage area, was totally overlooked. The Complete Food Oil was the product that Bill recommended I add to the mix, and has always been kept refrigerated.
However, from the general consensus, my best option would seem to be to dump the lot. Regrettable, but safe.

Agreed, Pete B. This is why Nutrabaits prefer to supply shops with milk proteins on a little and often basis to shops, and not have vast quantities of them in storage in the factory. I can assure you the movement of bait in and out of the factory is rapid!
My late friend Alan Smith of Sensible Baits went down the road of putting a use before date on his baits, which I know Bill and Skid have also considered. Alan told me it was a disaster for him, because shops paid him for the bait within say 30/60 days. However, they couldn't get customers to buy the bait beyond their shelf-life date and then they were asking for refunds etc from Alan!!!
The solution for us lies in having knowledgeable carp anglers working in the shops who know how important fresh bait is and how to store it properly. Anglers like Neil Smith and Shaun Harrison do a good job in this respect. Unfortnately, some shops don't have real carp anglers working for them and I often see packets of baits displayed in windows or under bright lights!
Tony, the Hi-Nu-Val will have begin to denature but it will still be safe and edible - it will have just lost nutritional quality. I would not use it in a boilie where I am seeking to apply the HNV principle but I see no harm in adding it to groundbait with bread crumb or whatever. It will still be better than some other baits we regularly feed to carp! If the oil has also been frozen (in solid form) for that time ie.never thawed and re-frozen it should also be ok, especially as this version will have had anti-oxidants added to it. If it has been just refrigerated - kept cool and in semi-liquid form - then err on the side of caution and dump it.

[This message has been edited by Paul Selman (edited 12-09-2000).]