Transcript Media Analysis - North Carolina Cooperative Extension

Home food preservation update
Dr. Ben Chapman
Food safety extension specialist
Dept of 4-H Youth Dev and FCS
[email protected]
2
Recent Illnesses
•
September 2008
o
o
•
Botulism
Ohio man and his grandson were hospitalized as a
result of botulism toxin poisoning caused by improperly
canned green beans.
2007
o
o
Virginia couple died after eating improperly canned
foods that also contained botulism toxin.
Physician
Home Food Preservation -- Module 1
3
3
Proposed law changes
•
VA – allow for home acidified foods
(pickles/fermented products) to be allowed to
be sold at farmers’ markets
New stuff?
•
•
Summer squash has been removed
Low acid tomato foods – reminders
o
o
o
o
o
o
Not all that uniform
Just have to assume that tomato foods are low acid
add 1 tablespoon of bottled lemon juice or 1⁄4 teaspoon
citric acid per pint of tomatoes.
For quarts, use 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice or 1⁄2
teaspoon citric acid.
Acid can be added directly to each jar before filling them
with the product.
Vinegar can also be used
New tested recipes available (2009)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Cantaloupe Pickles
Cantaloupe Pickles, No Sugar
Added
Cranberry Orange Chutney
Mango Chutney
Mango Sauce
Pears, Asian
Spicy Cranberry Salsa
Mango Salsa
Peach Salsa
Peach Apple Salsa
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Tomatillos
Easy Hot Sauce
Cayenne Pepper Sauce Chile Salsa
Tomatillo Green Salsa
Tomato Salsa Using Paste Tomatoes
Tomato Salsa Using Slicing
Tomatoes
Tomato/Green Chile Salsa,
Tomato/Tomato Paste Salsa
Tomato Taco Sauce
New recipes cont.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Pickled Asparagus
Pickled Carrots
Pickled Baby Carrots
Chayote and Jicama Slaw
Bread-and-Butter Pickled Jicama
Pickled Pearl Onions
•
•
•
•
•
•
Pickled Jalapeño Pepper Rings
Pickled Yellow Pepper Rings
Chayote and Pear Relish
Spicy Jicama Relish
Tangy Tomatillo Relish
No Sugar Added Pickled Beets
No Sugar Added Sweet Pickle
Cucumber Slices
Is there BPA in canning lids?
•
•
Yes, there likely is
Risk of BPA from all food containers is
currently being studied and the FDA has not
yet changed it’s stance on the chemical
Where is preservation going?
•
•
•
•
Some pressure canners and other food
preservation supplies triple.
Seed sales up again this year
Increased awareness/desire for local foods
= More preservation needs
Why Two Ways to Can?
•
•
Yeast, molds, and most
bacteria are destroyed
at boiling temperatures
-- 212ºF at sea level.
C. botulinum forms
spores that require
higher temperatures for
destruction in a
reasonable period of
time -- usually 240ºF or
above at sea level.
10
Basics of Canning
•
•
•
Food is placed in a jar
and heated to a
temperature that
destroys targeted
microorganisms.
Heat also inactivates
enzymes that cause
spoilage.
Air is driven from the jar
during heating. As the
jar cools a vacuum seal
is formed.
11
High Acid Foods (pH <4.6)
•
All fruits, except for:
o
o
o
•
•
figs
tomatoes, and
melons
Fermented pickles,
such as sauerkraut
Acidified foods, such as
pickles
12
Low-acid Food (pH >4.6)
•
•
•
•
•
•
All vegetables,
except rhubarb
Meats
Poultry
Seafood
Soups
Mixed canned foods
(low-acid + highacid)
13
Two Methods of Canning
Boiling Water Canning - used for high-acid foods
Pressure Canning -used for low-acid foods
(and some high-acid
foods)
14
Botulism and Growth
To grow, the spores need:




oxygen-free environment
low-acid food
temperature between 40ºF to 120ºF
relatively high moisture
15
Unsafe Canning Methods
•
•
•
•
•
•
Open Kettle
Oven Canning
Dishwasher
Addition of Aspirin
Steam Canners
Microwave Oven
Canners
16
Process Food Properly: Don’t be
Rachel
Ray
Encourage
following a
credible recipe exactly
o
The following slows heat
penetration:



Extra sugar or fat
Oversized food pieces
Added thickeners
Process food properly
o
Heat-up and cool-down times
in pressure canners are
counted toward sterilizing
value of the process. Never
rush them.
17
How Freezing Affects Food
Chemical changes
o
o
o
Enzymes in vegetables
Enzymes in fruit
Rancidity
Texture Changes
o
o
Expansion of food
Ice crystals
18
Blanching Vegetables
•
Blanch to prevent flavor and color changes.
Blanch using water or steam.
•
Water blanching
•
Use 1 gallon water per pound of vegetables.
 Place vegetables in blanching basket.
 Lower into vigorously boiling water.
 Cover and begin timing.

19
The Resources
•
So Easy to Preserve, University of Georgia
o
•
USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning
o
•
•
•
(soeasytopreserve.com)
(free download on UGA site)
How to Dry Foods, Deanna DeLong
The Joy of Winemaking, Terry Garey
Canning & Preserving without Sugar, Norma
MacRae
20
20
•
Ball Blue books
o
o
o
o
o
Wal-Mart for $8.95
Ordered directly from Jarden for $6.95
They can be ordered by calling 1-800-240-3340 and pressing
option 3.
Also, probably the best choice:
http://www.theconsumerlink.com -- $6.04 with shipping and
handling
Selling home preserved foods
•
NCDA resources on this
o
•
•
http://www.ncagr.gov/fooddrug/food/homebiz.htm
It is okay to sell jams and jellies
Acidified foods are allowed but vendors must
attend specified training
o
http://ncsu.edu/foodscience/workshops_training.htm
Preservation Websites
•
National Center for Home Food
Preservation
o
•
NC State home food preservation
o
•
Homefoodpreservation.ncsu.edu
Alltrista Consumer Products
o
•
www.uga.edu/nchp
www.homecanning.com/usa OR 1-800-240-3340
USDA guide to home canning
o
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/publications_usda.html
23
23
Judging suggestions
•
•
•
•
Tested recipes
Provide processing time
Approved jars
Low acid foods – tasting?
Teaching preservation
•
Workshops can be broken into:
o
o
o
o
o
pressure canning
jams and jellies
freezing and drying
salsa and fruit
pickling
Tips and tricks
•
•
•
•
The importance of using real canning jars
Having a pressure canner's gauge checked
each year
Blanching foods before freezing them – why
Features to look for in a dehydrator
o
(Air flow is most important)
Questions from consumers
•
“I opened a jar of tomatoes that I canned last
summer and they are not THAT spoiled. Can
I heat them up, boil them, and still eat them?
They’re not THAT spoiled”
27
Questions from consumers
•
•
•
•
•
“My lids won’t seal, why?”
Usually an issue with the jars, not wiping or
processing following the recipe
Reuse?
Not seasoned
Overtightening
28
Questions from consumers
•
“I have just completed a hot water bath on my
green beans and noticed several jars did not
seal. What can I do? I processed them for 5
hours.”
o
o
They can be reprocessed if within 24 hours
Hot water bath??? Need to be pressure canned.
29
Questions from consumers
•
“I am pressure processing green beans and
the power has gone off. What do I do?”
o
How long has it been?
30
Questions
•
“Must the client's pressure be 'right on the
money', the exact pressure, or is any
discrepancy allowed.”
o
o
Less than 2psi difference is fine – needs to be adjusted for
See the form at homefoodpreservation.ncsu.edu
Questions
•
“Can one-piece candle lids be used for jams
and jellies in place of two-piece canning
lids?”
o
o
Not really
The two piece construction including the gasket is
necessary to allow air to escape.
Questions
•
“Canning/or storing sun dried tomatoes in
olive oil, and also garlic in olive oil, is this
okay?”
o
o
o
No
Botulism has been linked to these products and there isn’t a
safe tested recipe available
Have to be refrigerated or frozen
Questions
•
“Can I can peas in half-pint jars at a reduced
processing time, they are too mushy at 40
min”
o
No – inactivation of spores is unlikely. Not tested.
Questions
•
“Canned apple pie filling in the Fall. She
processed in water bath according to
directions. She said jars they had consumed
this Fall and Winter had been fine, but just
discovered two jars with mold growing on
top. She does store them under the house in
an unheated area.”
o
Could have frozen/cracked seal and allowed for air/mold
spores
Questions
•
“Can I process yellow tomatoes quicker than
red?”
o
Regardless of variety or color the same processing steps
should be used. The color doesn't affect the pH of the
tomatoes enough to change the recommendations.
Questions from consumers
•
•
“I have canned venison from 1982 in my
basement. Is it still safe to eat?”
“She canned lard sometime between 1983
and 1985 and wants to know if it is still good
to use (eat)”
37
Dr. Ben Chapman
[email protected]
Follow me on twitter @benjaminchapman
919 809 3205
www.foodsafetyinfosheets.com
www.bites.ksu.edu
www.barfblog.com