If you also enjoy yogurt, you may have noticed, after pulling back the foil lid, a thin layer of clear liquid sitting on top of the creamy goodness. What is this mysterious liquid, and what do you do with it? Is it telling you that your yogurt is turning bad? To me, the liquid did not look appetizing, so most people's first reaction was to simply pour it out. But what if I told you that watery layer was actually very nutritious for you, and you should grab a spoon and stir it all together?
"...The color of these watery things looks yellow and turbid, which is not attractive at all, but it is comletely edible and safe. They are not spoied in any form. In fact, this yellowish liquid is whey..." Amanda Sauceda - Nutrition Expert
Milk is rich in protein and water. When milk is coagulated to make cheese or yogurt, you get curd, which is the solid cheese or yogurt. And you also get whey, which is the liquid part. So what do you do when you see whey liquid in your yogurt? Since the whey comes from yogurt, it's easiest to just stir it back in. But be aware that unevenly stirring may make the yogurt taste thinner, and if it's well mixed, you probably won't notice much of a difference.
Whey contains a lot of nutritions. It is rich in protein, which can increase the feeling of fullness after eating. In addition, whey also contains a lot of calcium, potassium, phosphorus, copper, zinc and other minerals and probiotics.
I like to stir the whey well before eating the yogurt. But sometimes there are exceptions, if I uses yogurt as a dip, I pours off some of the whey liquid. In home I save the whey for another use, such as freeze the whey in ice cube trays and make whey ice cubes, adding in a gratin or in a smoothie for some extra protein. Draining the whey liquid won't affect the quality of your yogurt, but it may make the overall nutrient profile a little less.
However, you can rest your assuring that the whey liquid on the yogurt will not affect food safety at all, it will also not causing any taste deterioration. As for when a yogurt might break and need to be discarded? The USDA says: "Any noticeable color change (including the yogurt itself) or unpleasant taste may indicate that the yogurt has gone bad. If this occurs, throw away the remaining yogurt immediately."
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