Clostridium botulinum is a common, everyday bacterium found in soil and on food. Only under certain conditions does it become harmful. In the absence of air, such as in canned foods, C. botulinum may produce botulin, the toxin that causes botulism poisoning. Historical perspective on botulism poisoning A century ago, botulism poisoning was a problem in improperly processed foods canned at… …click to read more…
Some experts on preserving foods stress safety and recommend that all dried meats such as beef jerky be precooked to a safe internal temperature before drying. This safety step results in a product with a different color and texture than traditionally dried meat, and is unacceptable to some people. Precooking meats to a minimum temperature of 160°F before drying ensures that… …click to read more…
Refrigerator or fresh pickles are one of the easiest food preservation methods that anyone can do. You can make these pickles simply by washing, trimming, and soaking fresh vegetables in acid. The most common acids used to pickle foods are acetic (vinegar), citric (lemon juice), and lactic (whey). Because these pickles have unknown acidity and are not heat processed (such… …click to read more…
