Although not a perfect test, your senses are usually the most reliable instruments to tell if your cream has gone bad.
How to tell if sour cream has gone bad. Stomach cramps, nausea and diarrhea are common symptoms. As for what to look for, eat by date states that once the water separates, and a pool starts to form at the surface,. Finally, give the cheese a taste.
Again, you want a nice smooth creaminess to your sour cream. Simply stir it and it should be all good. Food poisoning usually develops within a few hours after.
Since it is not fully fermented, sour cream has to be refrigerated all the time. The first sign of bad sour cream is the off and unpleasant smell. The kicker is pressing the lid on tight or setting it upside down onto a plate, ensuring you won't have a huge mess on your hands.
Sour cream (opened) 1 to 2 weeks. Cream cheese should have a mildly tangy flavor with. It'll smell different from the normal sour smell of sour cream).
Maybe the sour cream was frozen at a point in time. A light layer of white, milky liquid floating on top of sour cream and a tangy odor are both totally normal. The bottom line is, while it's ok to consume sour.
Sour cream that has gone bad will often have a pungent odor, be discolored, or display mold. Short of mold it has a very long shelf life, so step one is look for discoloration. Sour cream generally goes bad by getting moldy.