Home Food Preservation 101

1. Home Food Preservation 101 Prepared: June 2009

2. MODULE 1Introduction to Home Canning Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

3. MODULE 1: Units • Why are we canning in the 21st century • Canning Trends • Specific Concerns with Canning Foods at Home • Credible Instructions Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

4. Why are We Canning in the 21st Century Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

5. Canning History Lesson • Canning dates to late 18th century in France. • Napoleon Bonaparte, concerned about keeping his armies fed, offered cash for developing a reliable method of food preservation. • Nicholas Appert won the prize, 12,000 francs, in 1809 when he submitted his method of “food in glass bottles (Kovel and Kovel, 2007). Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

6. Canning History • Appert used glass jars sealed with wax and reinforced with wire. • Took 14 years to develop. • Peter Durand, replaced the breakable glass bottles with cylindrical tinplate canisters. Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

7. Basics haven’t changed drastically • The basic principles have not changed dramatically. • Heat sufficient to destroy microorganisms. • Foods packed into sealed, or "airtight" containers. • The canned foods are then heated under steam pressure at temperatures of 240-250°F (116-121°C). Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

8. The Basics • Louis Pasteur provided the explanation for canning when he was able to demonstrate that the growth of microorganisms is the cause of food spoilage (Lund et al. Eds. 2000). Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

9. Commercially Canned Foods • Historically: • Relatively safe • Only 4 outbreaks in 40 years, last one was in 1974 • Before…. Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

10. Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

11. Recent Illnesses • September 2008 • Botulism • Ohio man and his grandson were hospitalized as a result of botulism toxin poisoning caused by improperly canned green beans. • 2007 • Virginia couple died after eating improperly canned foods that also contained botulism toxin. • Physician Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

12. Recent Illnesses • February 2009 • Woman in her 30s and two children under 10 fell ill from eating improperly-canned green beans from a home garden. • The woman is reportedly recovering slowly and remains on a ventilator. Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

13. Canning Trends Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

14. Home Food Preservation • Home canning continues to be a popular means of preserving food at home (Andress et al, 2002). • Fruits and vegetables make up the majority of home preserved foods. • Meats (especially game) and fish are also preserved. Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

15. National Phone Survey of Canners (2005) • 58% of home canners are between 35-64 years of age • 27% are 65 and over • 15% are under 35 (D’sa et al., 2007) Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

16. Home Canning Survey • Majority of home canners have reported not following science-based home preservation methods. • Receive much of their home preservation information through friends and family. • Only 45% of respondents thought that home canned foods could be spoiled without obvious signs of spoilage. Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

17. Home Food Preservation • Local • Economy • Personal • Business opportunity • Connection to food Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

18. July 22, 2008New York Times Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

19. Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

20. Spot the Mistake – Celebrity Chefs Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

21. Eat Local: Movement Stresses Safety "Buying locally is much safer than just eating food that has been purchased en masse from god knows where." Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

22. Organic = “Healthy”?! "I eat organic food and drink only green tea– gallons of it when I’m writing. I smoke cigarettes, but organic ones” Organic Style magazine March 2005 Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

23. Food Preservation Trends • Tuscaloosa Farmers Market • Allows selling home-made jams and jellies, but NOT certain canned goods due to fear of botulism. • Prohibited are low-acid foods, such as green beans. Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

24. Home Canned Foods as a Business • Home canned soup, sold to a PA woman in 2007. • Woman tested positive for botulism, as did the soup. Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

25. Recent headlines • Let us grow our own food to eat better, save money (W-S Journal, April 4, 2009) • More Alaskans trying to keep food source local (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, April 5, 2009) • Locals jump on national gardening trend (Northwest Arkansas times, April 5, 2009) Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

26. Growing, Preparing, Storing Own Food • Seed sales up 10-15%. • Families with gardens expected to increase 40+% in 2009. • "As the economy goes down, food gardening goes up," says Bruce Butterfield, the group's research director. "We haven't seen this kind of spike in 30 years." Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

27. Younger Demographic May not have even seen home canning before Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

28. Specific Concerns with Canning at Home Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

29. Storing Jars • Canned foods can be stored for up to 18 months to retain optimal quality. • Store canned foods in a cool, dry environment that is between 50 and 70oF. • Non-pathogenic thermophilic bacteria can grow if the jars are not stored properly. Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

30. Unsafe Canning Methods • Open kettle • Oven canning • Dishwasher • Addition of aspirin • Steam canners • Microwave oven canners Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

31. Credible Instructions Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

32. Canning Books • So Easy to Preserve, University of Georgia • Ball Blue Book, Alltrista • How to Dry Foods, Deanna DeLong • The Joy of Winemaking, Terry Garey • Canning & Preserving without Sugar, Norma MacRae Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

33. Canning Websites • National Center for Home Food Preservation www.uga.edu/nchp • Food Safety Website www.foodsafetysite.com/consumers/resources/ • Alltrista Consumer Products www.homecanning.com/usa OR 1-800-240-3340 Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

34. MODULE 2Home Canning Home Food Preservation -- Module 1

35. MODULE 2: Units • Principles of Canning • Two Methods of Canning • Packing Methods • Canning Equipment • Processing Time • Boiling Water Processing • Pressure Canning Processing Home Food Preservation -- Module 2

36. Principles of Canning Home Food Preservation -- Module 2

37. Canning Basics • Food is placed in a canning jar and heated to a temperature that destroys targeted microorganisms. • Heat also inactivates enzymes that cause spoilage. • Air is driven from the jar during heating. As the jar cools a vacuum seal is formed. Home Food Preservation -- Module 2

38. Commercial Sterility • All pathogens, spoilage bacteria, molds, and yeast are “killed.” • Those that survive are thermophilic bacteria that cause spoilage but not illness. • Some produce gases. • Some produce bad odors. Home Food Preservation -- Module 2

39. Vacuum Seal • Holds the lid on the jar. • Prevents recontamination of the food. • Prevents air from drying out the food. Home Food Preservation -- Module 2

40. Two Methods of Canning Home Food Preservation -- Module 2

41. Two Methods of Canning Boiling Water Canning • Used for high-acid foods Pressure Canning • Used for low-acid foods. • Can also be used for high-acid foods but might result in a soft texture. Home Food Preservation -- Module 2

42. High-Acid Foods (pH < 4.6) • All fruits, except for: • figs • tomatoes, and • melons • Rhubarb • Fermented pickles, such as sauerkraut • Acidified foods, such as pickles and tomatoes Home Food Preservation -- Module 2

43. Low-acid Foods (pH > 4.6) • All vegetables, except for rhubarb • Meats • Poultry • Seafood • Soups • Mixed canned foods (low-acid + high-acid) Home Food Preservation -- Module 2

44. Why Two Methods of Canning? • Yeast, molds, and most bacteria are killed at boiling temperatures -- 212ºF at sea level. • C. botulinum forms spores that require higher temperatures for destruction in a reasonable period of time -- usually 240ºF or above at sea level. Home Food Preservation -- Module 2

45. Clostridium botulinum • Clostridium botulinum bacteria are found naturally in soil and water. • Seven known types, but only A, B, E and F cause illness in humans. • This bacterium can produce heat-resistant spores. Home Food Preservation -- Module 2

46. C. botulinum -- Growth To germinate, the spores need the following conditions: • anaerobic environment • low-acid food • temperature between 40ºF and120ºF • relatively high moisture Home Food Preservation -- Module 2

47. C. botulinum -- Growth Optimal conditions might be found in: • Home canned foods • Smoked fish and sausage • Foil-wrapped baked potatoes sitting at room temperature • Packaged mushrooms • Pot pies and other foods in gravy Home Food Preservation -- Module 2

48. Botulinum Toxin • The botulinum toxin, one of the deadliest known, causes botulism. • 1 mg can kill 655 tons of mice. • Food can contain toxin without showing any signs. • Antitoxin available, but slow recovery. Permanent nerve damage possible. Home Food Preservation -- Module 2

49. Botulism -- Symptoms Symptoms usually appear within 12 to 72 h after eating contaminated food: • Digestive upset (in some cases) • Blurred, double vision • Difficulty swallowing, speaking, and breathing • Possible death from suffocation • 10-35% mortality rate Home Food Preservation -- Module 2

50. Preventing Botulism • Spores do not grow in high-acid foods. • Spores killed when low-acid foods heated long enough at a specific temperature. • Process low-acid foods in a pressure canner, which can reach a temperature of 240ºF. Home Food Preservation -- Module 2