Re: [CH] Fermented Mash Sauce Questions
Kristofer Blennow (kristofer@blennow.se)
Wed, 6 Jan 1999 15:04:44 +0100
On 6 Jan 99, Cameron Begg wrote:
> And Kristofer Blennow replied:
> >20% salt with vinegar? Hmmm... not sure what you mean by that. For
> >fermentation usually 2-3% salt content is required to select the
> >bacteria wanted.
> As I have indicated in the past, according to a member of the food
> industry who spent many years manufacturing fermented chile pepper sauces,
> a salt concentration (by weight) of 15-20% is necessary. The hypothesis is
> that there ARE a few organisms capable of sustaining life at these
> concentrations and these are in fact the desireable ones.
Actually... from a general lactic acid bacteria point of view, 2-3%
is optimum, at least for L Plantarum. Higher concentrations will
select other microorganisms. Now, I don't know if fermentation of
chiles (without starter cultures) uses some very special LAB, but it
sounds very strange. On the other hand, the classic Tabasco method is
fermentation for years, while anything else, like sauerkraut or
kimchi is a thing that is ready after 2-6 weeks.
> Notwithstanding, my tabasco mash with 18% NaCl is growing a white mould.
> Does anyone know if there are any potentially dangerous moulds (to humans)
> which can tolerate these conditions? (If there are any mycologists on the
> list I could provide pictures at any useful magnification.)
I will reserach this for you. It is something on my list anyway.
Personally I am very cautions with molds, but that is more out of
ignorance. Very few molds are dangerous, but those who are, are not
to be toyed with.
Will get back to y'all asap...
Kristofer
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Clip from post in FoodSafe mailing list:
Gram positive genera include:
Cocci:
Micrococcus (Oxidative+)
Staphylococcus (Fermentative, Catalase+)
Streptococcus (Fermentative, Catalase-)
Rods:
Bacillus (Endospore-forming)
Lactobacillus (Non-spore, regular)
Listeria (Non-spore, regular)
Erysipelothrix (Non-spore, regular)
Corynebacterium (Non-spore, irregular)
Gram negative bacteria include just about everything else, including
all the enteric pathogens (E. coli, Salmonella, Yersinia, Shigella)
and other bad guys (Clostridia, Campylobacter, Brucella, Legionella).
It also includes Pseudomonas, an aerobic psychrotroph which is
responsible for much refrigerated food spoilage.
So you can see the application of salt to shift the flora from Gram
negative growth to Gram positive growth is a critical factor in food
safety. That's why almost all preserved foods include salt. At brine
concentrations above 6%, essentially no pathogens can grow, except for
possibly Staphylococcus aureus.
When salt is present, Staphylococcus and Listeria are the principal
risks. Staphylococcus can tolerate up to 10% salt brine, but is a
relatively poor competitor, and won't generate toxin below 10-15 C.
Listeria can grow at refrigerator temperatures, where other flora
languish.
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Kristofer Blennow Email: kristofer@blennow.se
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