What Not to Store

INTRODUCTION

Extension agents oft en receive questions about uncertain food storage recommendations. Some of these recommendations can be quite dangerous and should be carefully considered by the consumer, according to Brian Nummer, Utah State University Extension food safety specialist.

HOmE CANNED BUTTER

Th e methods circulating for canning butter have not been scientifi cally determined, especially for unsalted, canned butter. It is true that there is one known manufacturer of canned salted butter, but we are unaware of any research supporting a safe canning process. Canning unsalted butter may be especially dangerous. Unsalted canned butter has NO protection from botulism.

PETROLEUm JELLY OR mINERAL OIL COVERED RAW EGGS

Th is is a shelf life extension (quality extension) method, NOT a food preservation method. Th ere is a major foodborne illness risk if eggs are stored above refrigeration temperature. Th e rationale for this recommendation may come from the egg industry itself with one key fact left out. Mineral oil (oft en called egg oil) may be rubbed onto egg shells to fi ll their pores. Th is minimizes air and bacteria entry, prolonging their (refrigerated) shelf life. Many commercial eggs are treated in this manner today. But, the big diff erence is that they are always refrigerated. Some of the recommendations have been for room temperature storage.

VACUUm SEALED “WET” FOODS

Vacuum sealed dry foods are safe because of the absence of moisture. Vacuum sealing moist or wet foods provides the optimal environment for growth of botulism. Some people mistakenly see foods like tuna in a Mylar®-style pouch and assume it is only vacuum sealed. It is not. It is heat processed just as if it were in a can or Mason jar.

mILLED GRAINS

(Whole wheat fl our, cornmeal, cereal, granola) Basically, milling or grinding makes the interior surfaces of grains accessible to oxygen. Th e oxygen then can catalyze oxidation reactions leading to rancidity of the grain oils and causing changes to other chemicals in the fl ours. Consuming these foods in an emergency is safe, just not palatable.

OILY GRAINS OR SEEDS

(Nuts, brown rice, pearled barley, sesame seeds, and fl ax seeds) Storing can cause quality deterioration. Oily grains or seeds are varieties that have high levels of oils subject to rapid rancidity. Rancidity is the oxidation of oils or fats producing volatile

aldehydes and ketones that smell and taste bad. Rancid foods are difficult for humans to consume, even under emergency situations. The more unsaturated the oil, the greater the chances for rapid rancidity. So, the better an oil is for you, the more likely it will deteriorate quickly. Consuming these foods in an emergency is safe, just not palatable.

HOME CANNED QUICK BREADS

This is unsafe and potentially dangerous. A recipe for baking zucchini bread in a canning jar has been widely distributed with a 45-minute baking time at 325 degrees F. The baking of the bread does not kill Clostridium botulinum. Clostridium is a spore-forming organism. The spores are resistant to destruction by heat or other environmental factors. Researchers at Kansas State University baked banana nut bread batter in canning jars at three different temperatures (350, 375 and 400° F) from 30 to 55 minutes. The batter had been inoculated with Clostridium spores. After baking and cooling, spores could be easily recovered after several days, weeks, and months. A person might then ask, how is regular bread safe from botulism? There are two reasons. The first is fermentation. Yeast consumes all of the available sugars and produces by-products that make it hard for the botulism organism to grow. Secondly, baking (outside of a jar) allows moisture loss, leaving breads dryer. Baking breads in jars traps in all of the moisture, perhaps leading to its popularity.