MikeFlynn74 said:botulism
in honey? I have never heard of any recorded case of botulisim poisioning from honey ever.
The only thing ive ever heard was Infants might be at risk and once the Alcohol is created woulndt that steralize the botulism?
clostridium botulinum (bacteria) produce ---> spores and toxinMikeFlynn74 said:ilikebeer
So wouldnt you think that alc content of the mead kill the botulisim?
Those are the recommendations, but real life isn't cut in dry, which is why I was speaking in terms of probability (although I did mention that boiling was the only sure way). Heating to 170 degrees will indeed denature some percentage of spores and toxin, thus further decreasing the chance of ingestion. For example, the limits of 212 and 240 are the upper limits were 99.9% of botulism toxin and spores will be destroyed. At 170, the percentage may be around 40-70% destroyed- which could in fact decrease the dose of toxin you ingest. By heating to 170, rather than 240, you striking a balance between good tasting mead and safety (and also killing wild flora)..YooperBrew said:Well, botulism is NOT killed by 170 degrees! That's why the USDA recommends NO low acid foods canned in a boiling water bath, but in a pressure cooker. Even 212 degrees doesn't kill all botulims spores- you have to get to 240 degrees to ensure that. So, unless you're boiling your honey in a pressure canner, botulism isn't destroyed anyway.
ilikebeer said:The risk that the bacteria is in the honey and has produced spores or toxin, also VERY small... but none the less real.
ilikebeer said:Heating to 170 degrees will indeed denature some percentage of spores and toxin, thus further decreasing the chance of ingestion.
CBBaron said:The bacteria never get a chance to grow so no toxin is produced. So mead (and other alcoholic beverages) is safe for humans over the age of 1 to drink (with respect to botulism).
I won't be worrying about botulism from my mead.
Craig
BigKahuna said:All of this adds up to mean that there is no safety reason for boiling Honey, and if you do boil it, it won't taste as good!
Is that about right?
ilikebeer said:The bacteria could have been growing in the honey in the hive or in the containers the bee keeper collected the honey. The toxin could have already been produced before you mix it into the mead.
I hate resurrecting an old thread like this, but why the hell would you give mead to an INFANT anyway?
Don't mind me, though, I'm just researching before I start my next batch (after a few minutes of cleaning up my kitchen).
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