That's based on the fact that it will start to settle out if left undisturbed. When it does this give it a good shake. I did this with the last part of a case of the orange. I couldn't tell any difference in the taste. YMMV I just checked & had two left on the shelf. Shook one & put it in the fridge. I'll report back on the results. Its at least 1.5-2 years old.