# Anaerobic conditions and Botulism



## standles (Apr 12, 2013)

So we all are concerned over botulism spores and toxins. We know acidification or low PH foods, refrigeration etc can control it. We know that even boiling for 10 minutes before tasting and use can destroy the toxins. 

However, I have a question still since botulism spores are possible on everything we can or store.

Botulism spores thrive in an anaerobic environment. We routinely increase our concern when talking about storing things in oil because the oil creates the oxygen free environment.

So what about all the food prep storage (dehydrated, 5 gallon buckets etc) that either use O2 absorbers, dry ice, vacuum packing or some combination of them with the sole purpose to eliminate the Oxygen from the storage container. Would these not be at the same or higher risk of Botulism?

Interested in your responses.

Thanks, Steven


PS. Found this on a CDC site.

Prevention
Botulism can be controlled if consumers are aware of the dangers and take steps to prevent spoilage in home-canned and home-cooked foods. Here are some important tips to remember:

Clean foods well before cooking or processing. This reduces but does not remove all bacteria. Bacteria are still present in nearly every pint or unit of food to be cooked or canned.
Be sure all home canning methods are up-to-date with current research-based recommendations and are properly adjusted for altitude.
Process all home-canned meats and vegetables, with the possible exception of tomatoes, in a steam pressure canner at 240 degrees F for the time recommended in a current USDA research-based publication. At sea level to 2,000, a pressure of 11 pounds per square inch (psi) is necessary to reach 240 degrees F. With each 1,000 feet rise in altitude an additional 1/2 psi is needed to achieve 240 degrees F. When using a weighted pressure gauge, the 15 pound weight must be used at all altitudes in Colorado.
Acid foods, such as tomatoes and fruits, if properly selected and processed, do not support the growth of Clostridium botulinum and may be canned in a boiling water bath if current, research-based instructions are followed. The addition of acid in the form of lemon juice or citric acid is recommended in all tomato products canned in a boiling water bath as a precautionary measure.
Before using home-canned food, critically examine the product and container. A bulging lid or leaking jar are signs of spoilage. When you open the jar, look for other signs of spoilage such as spurting liquid, an off odor or mold.
As an added precaution, boil all home-canned vegetables and meats without tasting for 10 minutes plus one minute per 1,000 feet above sea level (15 minutes at 5,000 feet). Boil home-canned spinach and corn 20 minutes before tasting. If the food looks spoiled, foams or has an off odor during heating, discard it.
Dispose of all spoiled food in a place where it will not be eaten by children or pets. Boil suspect foods for 30 minutes before disposing to ensure that any toxin present will be destroyed.

References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases. 2011. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/botulism/


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## unregistered5595 (Mar 3, 2003)

Good question. Thanks, I'll be watching for replies. ~Feather


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

I may not be right here, but what is surfacing in my brain from Microbiology class is that botulism likes dense, wet food and needs anaerobic conditions of course. Gravy was always the example in class, one reason not to keep it in the fridge too long! I don't think it likes the conditions of dry foods even if there is no oxygen. 

The USDA no longer says that you need to boil canned foods for 10 minutes as long as proper canning procedures were followed. There's a thread here about that and links to the USDA site.


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## hercsmama (Jan 15, 2004)

Here is a Wikipedia article regarding this, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clostridium_botulinum

Taken from the article, red emphasis, mine.

"Growth of the bacterium can be prevented by high acidity, high ratio of dissolved sugar, high levels of oxygen, very low levels of moisture or storage at temperatures below 3Â°C (38Â°F) for type A. "

I'm sorry the hyperlinks from the article came across as well.
As I read this, as far as dehydrated foods are concerned, your safe, as long as they are thoroughly dried before storing. Grains, and other bucket storage items as well, as long as they are very dry.


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

That's interesting about the sugar, the NCFHP mentions several times that sugar plays no role in food preservation, it's just about taste.


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

I agree with Vosey.


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## unregistered5595 (Mar 3, 2003)

http://uafanswers.com/detail.php?id=267

University of Alaska Cooperative Extension Service, says: 


> *Sugar acts as a preservative.
> First, sugar has a strong attraction to water. When sugar is added to fruit, it pulls water from inside of the fruit cells to bind with the sugar outside of the fruit walls. The water that is bonded to sugar is now unavailable for microorganisms to use for survival. The term used to describe this reaction is water activity. Mold and yeast are less likely to grow in a product with low water activity (high sugar content). The sugar concentration of jams or jellies must be at least 60-65% to reduce the water activity to 0.8 (Freeland-Graves& Peckham p.695). This level of water activity will control the growth of yeasts and mold. In addition, processing the finished product in a boiling water bath provides a heat process that will remove air from the jars needed for mold to grow and insure a vacuum seal with the jar lids.*


BUT, this is about jams and jellies, while what are are talking about is storing dry foods with oxygen absorbers.

I read on one of the sites selling canned dry goods and they said the moisture needed to be below 10%, and they assured customers all their dry goods had a moisture level below 10%.


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## standles (Apr 12, 2013)

Found some further info that supports the dehydrated foods are low moisture which is an inhibitor.

"Long term storage items such as wheat, white rice, rolled oats, dry beans, etc. should have a moisture content of 10 percent or less. Storing moist items in a low-oxygen environment encourages microbial growth and may result in botulism poisoning.

Granola, nuts, brown sugar, and dehydrated fruits and vegetables (unless they are dry enough to snap inside and out) should not be stored in reduced oxygen packaging (such as #10 cans or pouches with an oxygen absorber).

Vacuum packaging will not prevent botulism in moist products. It is appropriate to use a vacuum sealer to prolong shelf-life of dry items (less than 10% moisture such as wheat, popcorn, dry beans, etc.) intended to be stored at room temperature or moist items kept in refrigerator or freezer only. "

Also ...

"Clostridium botulinum spores grow in an environment that has no air, is a temperature between 70F/21C and 110F/43C, and includes more than 35 percent moisture. Sound familiar? That's right - it's exactly the environment inside a canning jar of food stored in a kitchen cabinet at room temperature."


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

I once contacted the National Center for Home Food Preservation because I wanted to know if I could vacuum seal raisens or if it would create a good environment for botulism. Their reply was that if something was dried properly then it was ok to vacuum pack- except for onions. Why onions I never asked but since then I have dried all fruits and vegetables to dry/crisp stage and vacuum sealed in canning jars. And I have eaten them straight out of the jar without problem.

http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/uga/vacuum_packaging.html


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## The_rpp (Oct 19, 2013)

Vosey said:


> That's interesting about the sugar, the NCFHP mentions several times that sugar plays no role in food preservation, it's just about taste.


That is because, according to President Osama, and it's spouse, sugar is the only thing more evil than salt in food.

Sugar is indeed a preservative.

It started well and used to be a completely reliable source. However, in the last few years it has become politicized and I no longer completely trust the NCFHP.


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## redneckswife (May 2, 2013)

Just had to respond because last week I made a boo-boo which my mother is still yelling at me about and it is referred to this topic(bout.) for the 1st time in my life.

Mom(75) always makes pickles. I wasn't paying attention(with kids at my feet) and opened a jar which apparently hadn't sealed. I had never in all my years saw this happen from any of her cans(jams,pickles,tom.,etc.). The liquid exploded out the top like one of those science baking soda volcanos and all the pickles rose to the top.

I opened another can, unsure what that was about..and forgot to dump the others..with kids around my feet I grabbed and shoved a pickle in my mouth. After the detour to the bathroom(once again kids running amuck) I look over and notice I have ate a pickle from the wrong jar.

I call mom immed. and she begins to yell at me, NEVER, NEVER eat anything that the center seal isn't down on;I explain I didn't look and never had watched for this. I heard the whole speech on Bout. and hadn't I ever listened to her about this...urrrmmm...I guess not. 

Thank goodness, it was acidy salty pickles that were made only 3 months ago or I would have probably gotten very ill. I told my dad if I died to tell everyone in town that S....M.....'s pickles had killed me:hysterical:

Death by my love for picklesound:


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## backwoods (Sep 12, 2004)

Redneckswife, glad you didn't get sick! Have to say, Mom was right! As important as hearing the "ping" when they seal, visually check to see the center of lid is sucked down before opening, and when you open it, make sure you hear that vwoop when the jar lid is unsealed, which means you broke the vacuum and air rushed in. Then smell of it as well. This has become such a habit for me that I don't even realize I'm doing it most of the time. Little kids are such a distraction, I've got 2 here, but it's extremely important you do this right, so shush them out of the room if you have to. What may make an adult sick, can kill a little one. Caution to the extreme is required here.

Historically, sugar has definitely been used as a preservative for ages. I agree with the above poster, that we're being "Obama-ized" over the sugar. My father in law grew up in the mountains of TN/NC and his mom put jelly in a crock with a cloth tied over it, no lid & no refrig. They scraped the top mold off, and threw it to the chickens, and ate the rest, and never got sick. He said it was because of all the sugar that preserved it. Where we wouldn't want to do that today, they all did it back then and lived to tell about it. We've become kind of "wimpy" and our immune systems are not what they were back then, imo.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

I'm not sure this is my own thoughts but I bet that enough sugar makes it hard for spoilage bacteris to grow but not neccessarily other bacteria. After all vinegar is made by bacteria using natural sugars to grow and their waste is alcohol. Which btw is a toxic substance.
Same with salt. It's used to make salt rising bread because salt kills one kind of bacteria leaving room for other kinds to grow.


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## DEKE01 (Jul 17, 2013)

Take a pork butt and leave it sitting on a table in a cool room. Beside that get another hunk o' pig and sugar cure it. Let them both sit for 6 or 12 months, sample, and then let me know if you think sugar is a preservative or not. 

My grandfather's curing shack had about 6 huge hams hung up each year in the fall. Some were salt cured, some with sugar. Ain't nothing better.


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