All my life I was a little scared of eating beans canned at home, because of the rare but potentially fatal disease caused by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. The botulinum toxin produced by this bacterium is one of the most lethal natural toxins known to man. Now that my organic garden is overflowing with fresh beans, and I can't possibly eat them whole, fresh, my mind became again this microscopic organism that lives naturally in soil.
Eating poorly prepared food is not really the only way you can be disgusted by this type of bacteria. It is also possible that the bacteria infect an open wound, (often caused when drug users share needles), and babies can sometimes be disgusted by consuming the spores of bacteria. Fortunately, the incidence of botulism poisoning is very rare-only an average of 110 cases are reported annually in the United States. Most of these cases, 72% is botulism, and 25% are caused by ingestion of contaminated food.
Infants may become infected by eating honey, corn syrup or other sweetener containing bacterial dormant spores, so that parents are warned to not give honey in any form for babies under one year old. Once the child begins to eat solid foods, stomach acids will kill bacterial spores and prevent them from growing.
As a gardener, is born in food that worries me, and the list of symptoms and side effects makes it reasonable to worry about. Botulism is a paralytic illness, and symptoms are very similar people who are having a stroke. Symptoms may include difficulty swallowing, drooping eyelids, muscle weakness and blurred or double vision. These symptoms can occur anywhere from 6 hours to 10 days after ingestion of contaminated food. Patients treated for this disease may be on a ventilator for weeks under intensive medical care. Paralysis will slowly improve over a number of weeks, if the disease is diagnosed early. In the past, up to 1/2 of people contracting the disease dies, but medical care now reduced the mortality rate to 8%. Patients may continue to feel tired and having difficulty breathing for years after recovering from this disease.
Clostridium botulinum bacteria grow and multiply in oxygen-free environments that are rich in moisture and low acidity. This is an excellent description within a vial of vegetables low-acid. High levels of sugar can help reduce the production of bacteria and their toxins. The bacteria are killed when vegetables are canned under high temperature and pressure, the way purchased canned products are processed.
My parents canned thousands of jars of beans over the years, but have always been careful to follow the common practice of boiling the beans at least 10 minutes before you eat them. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) agree that this is a good idea. It also makes sense to use latest home canning opinions of the u.s. Department of Agriculture, since new methods are being developed all the time. Only pays to be secure if you can low-acid foods such as beans, asparagus, beet and maize.
People also are known to be disgusted by the botulinum bacteria growing in chopped garlic stored in oil, which should always be kept refrigerated and
potato baked in aluminium foil, if the potatoes are left on the sheet and are chilled.
Frozen vegetables represent the same danger products such as canned home? According to the USDA Food safety handling Fact Sheet, "food stored constantly at 0o f will always be secure. Freezing keeps food safe by slowing the movement of molecules, causing microbes enter a dormant stage. Freezing preserves food for extended periods because it prevents the growth of microorganisms that cause both disease deterioration and foodborne food. "
However, the same document goes on to say that the freezing do not kill bacteria-he simply puts it into dormancy. Once the food is thawed, bacteria may start to grow and multiply, as well as they can in any food. To be safe, use up any veggies thawed (and still fresh) as soon as possible and keep any left-overs in the refrigerator.