Re: [CH] Oil in pickling
Charles Demas (demas@tiac.net)
Tue, 15 Sep 1998 17:40:50 -0400 (EDT)
On Tue, 15 Sep 1998, Tantrika wrote:
> ok, I guess I'm confused. I know I've BOUGHT pepperoncinis that had both
> oil (olive) and vinegar as the liquid. So if they can be bought, would
> their not be a safe means to also do it one's self?
Yes, there are methods that will work. The danger is that if you don't do
it right, botulism poisoning could result, and the mortality rate for that
is high.
The problem is to either kill the spores, or prevent them from growing and
then producing the toxin. It is not the spores themselves that kills you,
it is the toxin produced by the vegitative cells that the spores become
that kills you. The spores are very common.
Boiling water temperatures will not destroy the spores. It takes higher
temperatures for some time to kill the spores. I'm not sure if
irradiation can be effectively used to kill the spores.
Below a certain pH, the botulism spores do not grow.
Commercial packers use a combination of techniques to insure safety.
I recommend that you do not pack/can things in oil.
Chuck Demas
Needham, Mass.
Eat Healthy | _ _ | Nothing would be done at all,
Stay Fit | @ @ | If a man waited to do it so well,
Die Anyway | v | That no one could find fault with it.
demas@tiac.net | \___/ | http://www.tiac.net/users/demas