Meathead
Got Wood.
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2006
- Location
- Chicago suburbs
This paper discusses the effects of salt on bacteria on p 26 http://www.foodhaccp.com/internetjournal/ijfsv4-3.pdf
It says: Salt lowers the water activity of a system and thus
renders conditions less favorable to microbial life. Its mode
of action is therefore comparable with that of drying; hence
the term “chemical drying” to describe the used of salt.
However, since the water activity value of saturated salt
solution is only about 0.75 and a number of microorganism
varieties are able to grow even below this limit, it is
impossible to protect a food stuff reliably from all microbial
attack by using salt alone, unless the flavor becomes
completely unacceptable (Kushner 1971). The foods to be
preserved can be immersed in solutions containing greater
or lesser amounts of salt (brines). Alternatively, dry salt can
be added to food. The resulting osmotic removal of water
from the food reduces the water activity to a level according
to the quantity of salt added.
A subsequent table indicates that salmonella can handle 0.95 water activity, not quite as concentrated as a saturated solution. This still leaves me thinking that salmonella could easily survive your 10% solution, and considering 90% of the chickens Consumer Reports tested were pathogenic (and half of those had antibiotic resistance)...
One last question. Are you the only one playing Russian roulette, or are you feeding family, most especially children, elderly, or immune compromised?
Meathead (aka Ribmeister)
It says: Salt lowers the water activity of a system and thus
renders conditions less favorable to microbial life. Its mode
of action is therefore comparable with that of drying; hence
the term “chemical drying” to describe the used of salt.
However, since the water activity value of saturated salt
solution is only about 0.75 and a number of microorganism
varieties are able to grow even below this limit, it is
impossible to protect a food stuff reliably from all microbial
attack by using salt alone, unless the flavor becomes
completely unacceptable (Kushner 1971). The foods to be
preserved can be immersed in solutions containing greater
or lesser amounts of salt (brines). Alternatively, dry salt can
be added to food. The resulting osmotic removal of water
from the food reduces the water activity to a level according
to the quantity of salt added.
A subsequent table indicates that salmonella can handle 0.95 water activity, not quite as concentrated as a saturated solution. This still leaves me thinking that salmonella could easily survive your 10% solution, and considering 90% of the chickens Consumer Reports tested were pathogenic (and half of those had antibiotic resistance)...
One last question. Are you the only one playing Russian roulette, or are you feeding family, most especially children, elderly, or immune compromised?
Meathead (aka Ribmeister)