RE: Food poisoning

["Neil, David M" <neildm@id.doe.gov>]

A bit off-topic, but worth mentioning (IMHO)

	* C. botulinum is a common soil organism: it's everywhere
	* It is harmless until its environment goes anaerobic (like in a
sealed jar)
	* It _can't_ tolerate low pH except as a spore - the pH of a pickle
will inhibit it from multiplying
	* Over the last half century or so, tomatoes have been bred for less
acidity
	* Prior to this, tomatoes canned by the "cold pack" process were
acid enough to inhibit growth

Summary: Grandma used the old-fashioned process with low-acid tomatoes that
couldn't hold the Clostridium in check.

The old way is not always the best way (or why would a new way come along?)

Dave Neil
neildm@id.doe.gov


On Monday, September 20, 1999 3:17 PM, Nathan Pell [SMTP:npell@rsoinc.com]
wrote:
> ... Cholstridium Botulitis. I am not sure
> if I am spelling this correctly, but I remember this being one of the
worst
> types of "food poising". This is the one that lives in a low pH
environment,
> usually associated with canning of vegetables. You cannot smell it, nor
> taste it. It will cause death by attacking your nervous system.  I
remember
> reviewing a case of a young boy that ate some tomatoes his grandmother
made
> from stuff she canned. He was dead at the end of the day...
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