GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post

16-02-2003, 10:55 PM

In article ,
says...

"Martin Brown" wrote in message
...

Charlie Pridham wrote:

I help run a farmers market and the EHO's are not happy with herbs in
oil
but I had no idea why! this may be a reason, some one out there must
know?

Anaerobic conditions can allow botulism spores to grow. So that is almost
certainly why.
But they aren't much cop as EHO's if they are unable to explain their
reasoning to you.

(on the face of it the components sound innocent enough but together they
can
be dangerous)

Regards,
Martin Brown

To be fair I sell plants not food, so I didn't ask! but a lady who sells
herbs was warned off doing it, so I wondered, because as you say the
ingrediants seem harmless. Although I assume from what has been posted that
the herbs would have to be contaminated in the first place, but even very
small amounts of botulism would then become dodgy. One wonders what they
have to do commercially to render the process safe?

They add citric acid during the preparation of the 'in oil' ingredient.
The acidic conditions make the environment un viable for the botulin
spores to multiply. I don't think you need to add much, just 'enough' to
raise the acidity more than your normal oil. A home manufacturer for the
farmer's market probably wouldn't know this and may unwittingly produce
a nice environment for the spores to develop unfettered by nasty things
it doesn't like such as air.

Warwick