I would. While pickling is a good way to preserve food, the food itself needs to stay submerged in the pickling solution if not refrigerated. Acids used in pickling solutions are extremely hostile environments for bacteria.
Big caveat: Pickling and fermentation processes can be very different. One process may work to keep food safe for years, but others may only last weeks or days once the food is exposed to air.
Refrigeration slows down bacterial growth enough for days or weeks of storage, but eventually, robust bacteria will take over if there is just a little bit of air circulation. Warmer conditions with occasional air circulation and some kind of food source just increases the risk of bacteria development exponentially.
Before refrigeration was a thing, picking or salt packing was king. It works well, but it’s easy to screw up. Heck, I think authentic/traditional kimchi production never uses refrigeration and relies on the acids as well as CO2 and basic ethanol production to stay sterile safe.
These days, just throw everything in the fridge. It’s easier and safer because you don’t know exactly what preserving processes were used.
The packaging also offers some hints. It has a glass jar and a metal lid, which might click when you open it. My guess is, that bottle went through an oven before being shipped. Glass is heavy and expensive, which isn’t what the manufacturer wants. They wouldn’t use a package like this unless they really have to, which implies heat treatment.
If sterilized properly, that process killed all the microbes in it, which means you can safely ship it and store it in ambient temperatures for a very long time. Chemical reactions still take place, which might affect the taste if you store it for decades or centuries. However, if it’s properly sterilized, microbes aren’t involved in any of it. Once the lid is opened for the first time, airborne microbes immediately contaminate the contents and the clock starts ticking.
Salt and vinegar make the environment hostile for most microbes, but not all. This method will clearly help with limiting the growth rate, but keeping the jar in the fridge would be my advice as well. This way, you get the benefits of multiple methods of slowing down the growth rate.
I thought it was Veracocha. I think you’d probably have a nice chance of meeting him on drugs in the 00s though. Carte Blanche was released almost 30 years ago.
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