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Avoid these food preservation pitfalls

Northern Wyoming Daily News - 6/7/2017

This week's

information was gleaned from an article written by UW Extension meats specialist Warrie Means for a Nutrition and Food Safety team blog. Not only is Warrie a great meats specialist but he and his group play awesome bluegrass music. I wish their schedule allowed them to participate in our Pepsi Wyoming Championship BBQ and Bluegrass Festival.

In his original article he had a chart that listed six intrinsic parameters with an explanation of it, along with a food example. If you would like a copy of his chart, please contact me at the Washakie County Extension Office, 1200 Culbertson, Suite G, or call me at 347-3431. Many of the situations are commonly asked ones.

"Home food preservation can be extremely rewarding. There are many recipes available for drying, canning, and processing a variety of foods. When thinking about food preservation, most people limit their thoughts to microbial growth. However, basic food preservation principles limit food deterioration by physical damage,

chemical reactions, and biological processes (including microbial growth).

"Manipulating the principles of food microbiology can work to preserve foods. Intrinsic and extrinsic parameters of foods that can control microbial growth and, therefore, preserve foods. Intrinsic parameters are characteristics of the food itself, whereas, extrinsic parameters are characteristics of the environment the food is stored in. Extrinsic parameters include temperature, relative humidity, and presence and concentration of gases.

Pitfalls of food preservation include the following common examples.

1. The pickled asparagus my sister cans are too sour for our children. These make great appetizers when paired with other finger foods, like cheese and summer sausage. Can I dilute the vinegar used in the recipe?

ANSWER: No. This product is canned using the boiling water bath method, which should only be used for high acid, or low pH, foods. Foods with a pH > 4.6 (low acid foods) must be canned using a pressure cooker that reaches temperatures greater than the boiling point of water to kill Clostridium botulinum spores. The toxin produced by this organism causes botulism, which can cause death.

2. My husband's homemade elk jerky is too dry and salty. Can he make it with less salt and not dry it as much as the recipe calls for?

ANSWER: No. Not following a jerky recipe closely will produce a product that is technically not jerky and, therefore, may not be safe as a shelf stable product. The salt and moisture loss contribute to a low water activity (Aw < 0.85-80). If the Aw is higher than this, molds and bacteria can grow on the product causing spoilage or even an unsafe product. Jerky must have a moisture:protein ratio of 0.75:1, which compares to a little over 3.1:1 for fresh lean meat.

3. My homemade sauerkraut is too salty. I am trying to decrease my sodium intake. Can I add less salt to the freshly cut cabbage when starting the fermentation process in my crock?

ANSWER: No. The fermentation ecology of sauerkraut production is rather complex. Simply stated, shredding or fine cutting the cabbage releases the fermentable sugars from the cabbage cells. Tightly packing the cabbage to exclude air, adding salt (approximately 2.25 percent), and incubating at a lower temperature (65°F) discourages growth of undesirable bacteria and selects for the desirable fermentation bacteria. These parameters (anaerobic environment, relatively high salt content, and lower incubation temperatures) are necessary to produce an unspoiled and safe product with sufficient acid for preservation.

4. The home canned green beans my mother in law makes are awesome. However, I don't have a pressure canner. Can I make this product using the water bath canning method?

ANSWER: Hell No. Green beans are consider a low acid food (pH>4.6). Higher temperatures for the appropriate length of time are critical to inactivate Clostridium botulinum spores. The toxin produced by this organism causes botulism, which can cause death.

Again, thanks, Warrie. People can keep this for future reference and can better understand why I tell them to follow a current, USDA approved recipe, that grandma's recipe from back when does not meet today's approved recommendations to safely preserve their food.

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Speaking of food safety, our area food inspectors will teach a ServSafe Managers Certification Course at the Washakie County Extension Office, June 26-27, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Registration for this national recognized course is $99/per person and the preregistration deadline is June 19. Participants are encouraged to read the text prior to training to better prepare themselves to pass the exam. Continue Education credits are available. For more information, please call Jamie George (347-2501); Joe Martinez (864-3674); or Todd Denny (568-2064), our area inspectors. Registration forms are available at the Washakie County Extension Office. The class is targeted toward food service managers, manager trainees, front line supervisors, restaurant owners and anyone wanting certification on food safety.

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Another food outreach is the Washakie Farmers Market. If you would like to be a vendor, please contact Dee at 431-4845 or Mark at 388-0708. This year's Farmers Market will start Saturday July 8 and run through Sept. 30, 8 ? 11:30 a.m., and will be held next to Pioneer Square at North Ninth and Big Horn Avenue.

The Wednesday Farmers Markets will again be held in the Shopko parking lot, July 12 through Sept. 27, 4:30 ? 7 p.m.