Besides mold, what visual sign might liquid dairy like milk show before a sour smell is overwhelming?
Answer
Slight curdling or thickening.
Dairy products, especially liquids like milk, signal degradation through changes in physical state that precede or accompany the development of pronounced off-odors. Before the sharp, unmistakable sourness of spoiled milk becomes overwhelming to the olfactory sense, one of the earliest physical indicators observable upon pouring or inspection is a subtle alteration in consistency. This manifests as slight curdling, where the proteins begin to aggregate, or a general thickening of the liquid's body. These textural and visual shifts occur as lactic acid production accelerates, making the liquid less homogenous and smooth, thus serving as an important early warning sign of quality loss.
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