refrigerating nut butter?

[MissyH]

I bought some roasted almond butter and it says to refrigerate. There are no additives to it. I left it out for a day or so. Is it still fine to eat?

[TonyaW]

Originally Posted by MissyH

I bought some roasted almond butter and it says to refrigerate. There are no additives to it. I left it out for a day or so. Is it still fine to eat?

It is probably ok. I think refrigeration is mainly to keep the oil from separating so much.

[artemis33]

I don't. It makes it too hard to spread!

[Attached Mama]

Fresh nut butters can easily go rancid - thus refrigeration is recommended. I think if it were out for only a day or so it would be fine. However, I've heard they can be slightly rancid even w/o tasting bad. Peanut butter (not a real nut I know) is the worst. I've read you should never buy it (or other nut butters too) from bulk because the constant exposure to air causes harmful stuff to grow in it. I really wish I knew more, but peanut butter espec is susceptible to some mold type thing-a-ma-jig that can in rare cases even cause death. Not a good sort of fermenting like dairy does

[artemis33]

yeah, aflatoxin is the peanut mold. I recently read that pistachios are also prone to have aflatoxin since their shells open on the tree before harvest. It makes me soooo sad because I love them so much!

[MissyH]

Ok. I wasn't too worried about rancidity rather than spoilage. It smells fine and our house is cool. I just didn't know if the refrigeration was for food safety, oil separation, or rancidity. Sounds like most think it's safe to eat.