Homestead mailing list

[Clansgian AT wmconnect.com]

In a message dated 10/1/2008 2:08:36 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
lurine AT softcom.net writes:


> Ah, just one small caveat to this.  Botulism has NO taste, odor or anything 
> else to let you know it is there.  About the only thing that *might* happen 
> is there might be a few bubbles or the seal may break.
> 

While this is technically so, the conditions which allow for botulism to grow 
almost never occur in isolation.  If the canned good is a viable medium for 
botulism, it is almost always a good medium for putrification.

How-some-ever, it COULD happen, does happen sometimes.

>> Plus, as far as I know, it takes more than a quick heat to kill botulism 
> toxins.

You can't acutally 'kill' the botulism toxin. that is, render it harmless by 
applying heat.  Rather they are very volatile compounds and when you heat the 
food, they evaporate.  That's why it's unwise to taste the food out of the 
jar.  Any low acid canned food is only really safe it it is brought to a 
boil.  
For botulism toxins, that's an overkill but the prudent precaution.   </HTML>