Strong smelling bottle of DT's?

[Texas2Turkey]

Just opened a new bottle of DT's that I picked up earlier this week. I noticed it has a much stronger smell to it, compared to the last bottle I used. The label says best by March 15, 2003. Can different batches have different smells? I'm not planning on adding any until I get some other opinions....

I also shot an e-mail over to someone from the DT's website, we'll see what they say....

 

[brandon4291]

FWIW, I make it a point to smell each bottle too before I add any. Out of ten or so bottles, they have all smelled neutral. I have seen batches a little darker than others which may be a precursor to your situation...
They are trying to keep the product sterile to preserve nutritive value, and I say if you are smelling something it's likely decomposition. jmo

brandon429

 

[brandon4291]

Once Dr. Shimek responded to me in a post at his forum (RC) and remarked about the quality of the facility that produces dt's, he says the owner uses a very quality-controlled process that ensures theres no product contamination. I wonder if certain bottles are allowed to warm up a little during shipping, or by mishandling at a LFS...

 

[Bill2]

Yeah I would be suspect of it.

 

[MattM]

We have noticed different degrees of smell on various bottles. When it actually goes bad, it is unmistakable.

 

[Lurshy]

Why don't you test it for ammonia etc.? Though for humans the saying goes "when in doubt, throw it out". Inverts are more sensitvie than humans...

 

[Anonymous]

If the contents has a strong odor....it has gone bad. Toss it or take it back if you have just opened it. Says so right on the bottle.

 

[Gumbo]

I started a thread on RC a while back about a 2/1/03 expiration dated batch that smelled bad. As it turns out, the batch did have some bacterial contamination and some people were returning their "foul smelling" product. I used mine with no ill effects. Here is what Dennis Tagrin said:

When we moved into our new facility we encountered a problem with bacteria growth in the final stage of our cultures for a few weeks until we found the cause. The bacteria left an odor in the culture and also caused some discoloration of the finished product. We did test this culture on rotifer cultures and they did fine. Since our cultures start from uncontaminated test tube cultures and we only encountered this problem at the final stage, ( cultures grown for production instead of inoculation) DT's is back to the way it should be in fact it's somewhat denser then before we moved. If anyone is not comfortable with using the product or feel dissatisfied they should be able to return it to the place of purchase. They can also contact DT's concerning their concerns or problems with returns. WE DO STAND BEHIND OUR PRODUCT. The only problem that has been brought to my attention, is that some people are uncomfortable with the odor , to be honest I can understand that.We have a sample of every batch we have produced for the last several months. The smelly stuff has a best if used date of Feb.1/03 Just to mention, Phytoplankton depending on the species will have some odor. Nannochloropsis oculata has only a slight odor that will be a bit stronger with very dense culture, dead phytoplankton smells bad and strong enough to knock you off your feet. If you have a problem with a return, please do not be hard on the dealer, we sell primarily to distributors and many dealers do not know how well we stand behind our product and will credit the distributor or dealer for returns , for just about any reason. If you have a problem contact us and we will deal with it.
Please contact us with any questions or concerns and if possible please provide a phone number if we want to call and discuss your issue.
Thank You,
Dennis Tagrin
President , DT's Plankton Farm

I'm not sure if you're having a similar problem, but people may want to check their 3/15 batches and see if they all smell nasty.