Project "A"

ssorllih
Veteran
Veteran
Posts: 4331
Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2011 19:32
Location: maryland

Post by ssorllih » Tue Jun 14, 2011 14:05

Dave is your fan rated for 12 volts DC or 115 volts ac?
Ross- tightwad home cook
User avatar
Dave Zac
Passionate
Passionate
Posts: 335
Joined: Fri Apr 16, 2010 11:39
Location: Bristol, NY

Post by Dave Zac » Tue Jun 14, 2011 14:26

ssorllih wrote:Dave is your fan rated for 12 volts DC or 115 volts ac?
12 V DC. I plan to power it from an old computer power supply.

Dave
ssorllih
Veteran
Veteran
Posts: 4331
Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2011 19:32
Location: maryland

Post by ssorllih » Tue Jun 14, 2011 22:09

200 ohms at 2 watts should be good but if you can get a 4 or5 watt pot for a fair price go for that. Connect the power supply to one of the out side terminals and one lead of the motor to the center termal.
Ross- tightwad home cook
ssorllih
Veteran
Veteran
Posts: 4331
Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2011 19:32
Location: maryland

Post by ssorllih » Wed Jun 15, 2011 00:42

I read the discription of the equipment needed and I believe that I can pretty much make do although some of my stuff may seem a bit archaric. My gram scale is good for 120 grams by .01 milligram torsion balance and my larger scale is a double beam baby scale that will resolve 1/8 ounces to 32 pounds.
Ross- tightwad home cook
User avatar
Chuckwagon
Veteran
Veteran
Posts: 4494
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 04:51
Location: Rocky Mountains

Post by Chuckwagon » Wed Jun 15, 2011 08:37

Hi sausage makers working on Project-A!

While we are reading about bad bugs and bad manners, how about allowing me to expand just a bit on some of the material you`ve read about microorganisms and their effect on our fermented meat products and possible effects upon our bodies. I do not expect you to remember all the data I`ve presented here, I just thought I`d put the following information together for your further reading in case you`d like to know more about the bugs we are contending with. I`d like to present three pages for you to read at this point in our project. You may wish to copy n` paste these three pages for your reference notes. The first deals with the causes of food poisoning. The second describes some of the most vicious pathogenic bacteria we have to deal with. The third page describes yeasts and molds, and such tough-to-get-rid-of microorganisms as spores and even some of the non-bacterial contamination we may encounter, such as trichinella spiralis - a microbial, nematode worm!

- Page 1 -

Each year in the United States food borne diseases cause approximately 76 million illnesses and 325,000 hospitalizations*. Of this number, more than 5,000 Americans painfully suffer the clearly evident indications and symptoms of preventable food contamination, breathe their last breath, and agonizingly die!
* statistics from Center For Disease Control

Three pathogens in particular - Salmonella, Listeria, and Toxoplasma - are responsible for 1,500 deaths annually. Many of the pathogens of greatest concern today, were not even recognized as causes of food borne illness merely twenty years ago! They include Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Cyclospora cayetanensis, and others.

Other pathogenic bacteria of concern to sausage makers include Clostridium botulinum whose spores produce the deadliest toxin known to man, and Clostridium perfringens - both of which grow without oxygen present. Staphylococcus aureus is present in the mouth, nose, and throat as well as on the skin and hair of many healthy people who never suspect it. One cough or sneeze may be accountable for the sickness of countless individuals. Shigella, also a rod-shaped pathogenic bacterium, is closely related to E.coli and salmonella. Usually ingested, it is the cause of severe dysentery. Also rod-shaped pathogens of bacteria genus bacillus include Bacillus cereus, which causes a foodborne illness similar to that of staphyloccus.

We live in a microbial world in which there are limitless opportunities for pathogenic or spoilage microorganisms to contaminate food whether it is produced in huge commercial kitchens or prepared "from scratch" at home. Food borne microbes are present (usually in the intestines) in healthy animals raised for food and the slightest contact with even small amounts of intestinal contents may contaminate meat or poultry carcasses during slaughter. Others are passed along by any number of means. As a result, worldwide each year, over two million people die from diseases attributed to contamination of food and drinking water, many being painful diarrhoeal diseases. Even in industrialized countries, up to 30% of the population have reported suffering from foodborne diseases annually.

Recently in Europe, two and a half million pounds of beef were recalled due to salmonella contamination. In the United States, a single ice cream producer affected 224,000 persons when salmonella contaminated products were placed on the market. Earlier, an outbreak of hepatitis A, resulting from the consumption of contaminated clams, affected some 300,000 individuals in China. In the United Kingdom, two million cases, (about 3,400 cases per 100,000 inhabitants), of food contamination are reported each year. In France, three quarters of a million people (1,210 cases for 100,000 inhabitants), report food contamination sicknesses annually. Australia reports an estimated five and a half million cases of food-borne illness every year, causing 18,000 hospitalizations and 120 deaths. The problem creates an enormous social and economic strain on people in every country. In the United States alone, diseases caused by the major pathogens are estimated to cost over $35 billion dollars annually in medical costs and lost productivity.

So, why am I including this ghastly information in the midst of our sausage making project? Frankly, to scare the daylights out of you! What better place to print explicit and even graphic details in which every responsible sausage maker should become familiar before undertaking the business of feeding or preparing sausage for other people? A trusted sausage maker or cook may either promote or recklessly endanger the health of other human beings. I openly cringe whenever I hear someone repeat the words "he`s just a cook". Inside our ranch kitchen, cowboys helped with dishes and treated the cook as if he were royalty. After all, although he was "just the cook", all hands depended upon the "biscuit wrangler" to feed us fresh, tasty, and safely prepared food. Shucks pards, we all knew he could have easily slipped a little something extra into the chocolate pudding anytime he had revenge on his mind. We also trusted and relied upon him to help keep harmful bacteria out of the sausage and meat products we devoured like hungry wolves.

Safety n` Savvy

Before you begin making sausages in your own ranch or home kitchen that others will consume, you MUST become familiar with the basics of food handling safety and gain at least a fundamental insight of microorganisms and their behavior. Without this knowledge, you may very easily harm someone most seriously. Making fresh sausage involves the use of immaculately clean utensils and low processing temperatures. We must take advantage of every opportunity to lower the temperature of the meat during the various steps of processing sausage. Those of the cured, cooked, and smoked variety, require the same essentials, but further include the use of sodium nitrites and nitrates, higher salt content, and of course, higher cooking temperatures. If you wish to make any type of dried or semi-dried sausage, a basic understanding of the fermentation process becomes necessary, along with an elemental knowledge of unique, acid-producing, microorganisms and their behavior. In other words, because the meat in these sausages is not cooked during preparation or even upon consumption, a bit more "bacteria savvy" is required. Further, in making those great tasting, tangy, "fermented" sausages, familiarity with a few unique safety procedures involving yeast and mold microorganisms is essential. They include at least an elemental understanding of:

1. Water activity (Aw) - a measure of how much "bound" water is available to microorganisms.

2. pH acidity - (potentiometric hydrogen ion concentration) - a measure of acidity or alkalinity in food, developing resistance against microbiological spoilage.

3. Microbiology, including:
a. molds
b. yeasts
c. bacteria of three types:
1. pathogenic
2. beneficial
3. spoilage


The Major Causes Of Food Poisoning

1. Pathogenic Bacteria

Of the three microorganisms affecting food (bacteria, yeasts, and molds), pathogenic bacteria, existing virtually everywhere in our environment, remain the greatest cause of food poisoning. Sausage makers and food handlers must be aware of the strains of (a.) food spoilage bacteria, (b.) pathogenic bacteria, and (c.) beneficial bacteria. Millions of microbes may be found on unwashed hands and dirty utensils and under the right conditions, multiply at an alarmingly incredible rate.

As sausage makers, we must constantly be aware of the primary factors necessary for bacterial growth. We must also know how to change any dangerous circumstances immediately. Bacteria need merely four elements for growth:

(1.) moisture- Did you ever imagine that meat is comprised of three-quarters water? If we freeze the water in meat, we give it temporary defense against bacteria by "binding" the moisture. Moisture is the primary reason meat spoils. Will dehydrating meat preserve it? We`ve been doing just that for thousands of years!

(2.) nutrient- Meat, (mammalian muscle) consists of roughly 75% water, 19 % protein, 2.5% fat, 1.2% carbohydrates, and 2.3% non-protein substances such as amino acids and minerals. Exposed to the atmosphere, meat becomes a virtual feast for bacteria.

(3.) warm temperature- Bacteria thrive at body-temperature! Called the "danger zone", the range from 40°F. (4°C.) to 140°F. (60°C.) is the optimum temperature periphery for bacteria to multiply. It is interesting to note that bacteria are restricted from growing at 130°F. (54°C.) but actually start to die at 140°F. (60°C.).

(4.) lack of oxygen- Aerobic bacteria need oxygen; anaerobic bacteria do not. Certain pathogenic bacteria in sausage being smoked certainly present a risk. Casings also cut off a certain volume of oxygen as does the "overnight curing" covered with plastic wrap inside a refrigerator. Remember the first rule of sausage making: Don`t smoke it if you can`t cure it! (meaning the use of actual cures of sodium nitrate or sodium nitrite).

Bacteria, have been named mostly in Latin or Greek, for their shape. Spherical bacteria are called cocci. Rod-shaped bacteria are known as bacilli. Curved bacilli (resembling a comma), are called vibrio. If they are spiral-shaped, the are called spirilla, and if the bacilli is tightly coiled, it is called spirochaetes. Many bacteria exist simply as single cells. If they are found in pairs, they are neisseria. The streptococcus form chains while the staphylococcus group together in clusters resembling grapes.

If a specific bacterium is a facultative anaerobic, it is most active in oxygen but can survive without it. On the other hand, an obligate anaerobe cannot grow in the presence of oxygen. Bacteria do not grow in size - they multiply in number. And they do it very quickly! Without oxygen, the addition of sodium nitrates or sodium nitrites is necessary to prevent botulism. It also becomes crucial that meat be removed from the "danger zone" temperature range as quickly as possible during any preparation or cooking process. This includes grinding, mixing, and stuffing sausages, procedures often supported using ice, ice water, or refrigeration and freezing. As bacteria need moisture to multiply and meat is about three-quarters water, it becomes an ideal environment for the growth of bacteria, even when it is mostly dried. However, there is a point in which meat can lose so much "available" water, it will no longer sustain bacteria. This point differs within each particular type bacterium. We`ll discuss this "water activity" later as well as another bacteria destroying process known as potentiometric hydrogen ion concentration... :shock: ... or simply "pH acidity".

Our first line of defense continues to be the application of extreme temperatures applied to meat either being cooked or frozen. As sausage is prepared, it is essential to work with only small batches at a time outside the refrigerator. Very often, meat is partially frozen before it is put through a grinder and bacteria at this temperature remain mostly inactive. In the grinder, ice chips are sometimes added to keep the temperature down as the friction of grinding actually warms the meat. Out of the refrigerator, most bacteria begin to wake up as the temperature rises above 40°F. (4.4°C.). At 50°F. (10°C.), it is safe to work with the meat only temporarily before it goes back into the refrigerator. At this point, salt in the amount of 2.5% - 3% is frequently added to partially restrict pathogenic and spoilage bacteria growth, as beneficial bacteria go to work producing protective acidity within time. Most bacteria thrive at the temperature of our bodies (98.6°F. / 36.6°C.). As temperatures rise much above the "danger zone", their growth becomes restricted until around 140°F. (60°C.), they begin to die. Yet, strains such as Clostridium botulinum, may survive heating up to 250°F. (121°C) by producing heat-resistant, isolating envelopes called spores - nature`s way of protecting the organism by sheltering the bacteria from other unsympathetic environmental conditions.

(Continued on Page 2)
Last edited by Chuckwagon on Wed Jun 15, 2011 10:45, edited 1 time in total.
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs more time on the grill! :D
User avatar
Chuckwagon
Veteran
Veteran
Posts: 4494
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 04:51
Location: Rocky Mountains

Post by Chuckwagon » Wed Jun 15, 2011 09:00

- Page 2 -

Clostridium botulinum - The Killer

Clostridium Botulinum is a common obligate anaerobic bacterium microorganism found in soil and sea sediments. Although it can only reproduce in an oxygen-free environment, when it does reproduce, it produces the deadliest poison known to man - botulinum toxin. One millionth of a gram ingested means certain death - about 500,000 times more toxic than cyanide. Onset of symptoms can occur quickly and include nausea, stomach pain, double vision, and spreading paralysis, ultimately reaching the heart or respiratory organs. If treatment is given and the dose is low, half of those affected may survive, but recovery may take months or years. Although fatalities occur yearly, especially in countries where home canning is popular, the risk of acquiring botulism is very, very low. However, the lethal consequences of poisoning may make you wish to reconsider the proper addition of sodium nitrate/nitrite in your products to almost eliminate the risk. Worldwide, there are about 1000 cases of botulism each year.

The rod-shaped bacterium was first recognized and isolated in 1896 following the poisoning of several people who had consumed bad ham. It was later discovered that due to the enzyme superoxide dismutase, the bacterium might actually tolerate very small traces of oxygen. Botulinum spores are extremely persistent and will survive heating up to 250°F. (121°C), freezing, smoking, and drying. Insidiously, they lie in wait for the right conditions to occur and give no foul smell or taste, making it even more treacherous. In non-cooked fermented sausages, the microorganism must be destroyed using a combination of salt, a drop beyond 5.0 pH, and a minimum drop in Aw water activity to 0.97 or less. Placing fresh vegetables or un-sterilized (garden fresh) spices into sausage is not recommended as botulinum spores are not uncommon on leafy herbs, peppers, beans, chilies, and corn. Cut off from oxygen by being stuffed into casings and placed in a smoker, the smoking temperatures are ideal for bacteria growth. The risk using fresh garlic is less, but cases of botulism poisoning have been reported after people have eaten home-canned garlic cloves in oil - the ideal environment for anaerobic bacterial growth!

The most commonly recognized foodborne infections are those caused by the bacteria species campylobacter, salmonella, and E.coli, along with a group of viruses called clicivirus also known as the Norwalk and Norwalk-like viruses. Campylobacter remains the most common bacterial cause of diarrheal illness in the world and incredibly, most raw poultry meat has campylobacter on it. Salmonella is also a bacterium widespread in the intestines of birds, reptiles, and mammals. Its infection, known as samonellosis, typically includes fever, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. E.coli 0157:H7 is a bacterial pathogen infecting cattle and other similar animals. Human illness typically follows consumption of food or water that has been contaminated with microscopic amounts of cattle feces. The illness it causes is often a severe and bloody diarrhea with painful abdominal cramps, but without much fever. In 3% to 5% of cases, a complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) can occur several weeks after the initial symptoms. This severe complication includes temporary anemia, profuse bleeding, and kidney failure.

Norwalk and Norwalk-like virus (calicivirus) is an extremely common cause of foodborne illness, though it is rarely diagnosed, because its laboratory test is not widely available. It causes an acute gastrointestinal illness, usually with more vomiting than diarrhea, that resolves within two days. It is believed that Norwalk-like viruses spread primarily from one infected person to another. Infected kitchen workers can contaminate a salad or sandwich as they prepare it, if they have the virus on their hands. Infected fishermen have contaminated oysters as they harvested them. Sausagemakers, wash your hands!

Although other routes usually transmit them, some common diseases are occasionally produced by foodborne bacteria. These include infections caused by shigella, hepatitis A, and the parasites giardia lambia, and cryptosporidia. Even "strep throats" have been transmitted occasionally through food.

Indeed, we live in a microbial world with countless opportunities for food to become contaminated as it is produced and prepared. Many food borne microbes are present in healthy animals (usually in their intestines) raised for food. In the kitchen, microbes may be transferred from one food to another food by using the same knife, cutting board or other utensils to prepare both without washing the surface or utensil in between. Worse, a food that is fully cooked can become re-contaminated if it touches other raw foods or drippings from raw foods that contain pathogens.

A "strain" is a sub-group within the species of a particular bacterium having unique characteristics distinguishing it from other strains. These differences are often detectable only at the molecular level; yet, they may result in changes to the physiology or lifecycle of the bacterium. Some strains develop pathogenic capacity becoming hostile to our food supply.

Many bacterial microbes need to multiply before enough are present in food to cause disease. The way food is handled after it is contaminated can also make a difference in whether or not an outbreak occurs. Given warm moist conditions and an ample supply of nutrients, merely one reproducing bacterium dividing itself every half hour can produce 17 million progeny in only 12 hours! As a result, lightly contaminated food left out overnight can be highly infectious by the next day. If the food were refrigerated promptly, the bacteria would not multiply at all. In general, freezing prevents nearly all bacteria from growing but merely preserves them in a state of "suspended animation". However, this general rule has a few surprising exceptions. Two foodborne bacteria, listeria monocytogenes and yersinia enterocolitica can actually grow at refrigerator temperatures! As we shall see, high salt, high sugar, or high acid levels keep bacteria from growing, which is why salted meats, sweetened jam, and pickled vegetables are traditionally preserved foods.

Staphylococcus Aureus

Staphylococcus aureus is a particularly infamous nasty strain of bacteria that thrives at 98° Fahrenheit, causes intense vomiting, and much like clostridium botulinum, it is capable of producing toxins that remain in meat even after the microorganism is destroyed or removed. Most often found around the nose and throat or on sores, the foods most often contaminated with staphylococcus are moist and high in protein, such as meats and cheeses. The bacteria are usually passed onto food by the hands. "Staph" is even more dangerous because there is no tangible way to tell if meat is infected - taste, aroma, and appearance all seem normal. Moreover, it is highly resistant to drying and in the presence of oxygen, it can survive in Aw water levels down to an incredible 0.86. Worse, it can withstand a whopping 15% salt! Proper temperature management is essential - no, it is critical - in avoiding the spread of staphylococcus microorganisms. Cooked foods that are not cooled quickly enough or that are allowed to stand at room temperature are susceptible to infection. In fermented (not cooked) sausage, a rapid drop to less than 5.3 pH is required for its demise. In fresh or smoked-cooked-cured sausage, normal cooking temperatures exterminate the bacterium.

E. coli

The rod-shaped, facultative anaerobic, E. coli (escherichia coli) bacteria are comonly but not always confined to the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms. Most are harmless and one strain in particular has been used in the development of probiotic medicine developed to treat gastrointestinal infection. However some strains, such as serotype 0157:H7, 0104:H21, and 0121, can cause potentially lethal toxins. The strain 0157:H7 especially may cause serious food poisoning in humans, as well as other life-threatening complications. The ability of E.coli bacteria to survive for brief periods outside the body makes them ideal candidates for fecal contamination. The bacteria survive freezing and acidic environments down to 4.0 pH and a minimum drop in Aw water activity to 0.95. Untreated water, unwashed hands, flies, or vermin can then spread the bacteria. As plants are eaten, the cycle continues. As with staphylococcus aureus, it is best destroyed using heat.

Salmonella

Salmonella bacteria do not produce spores, are not destroyed by freezing, and are facultative anaerobic, meaning they are active in oxygen but can survive without it. This is the nasty bug that causes Typhoid Fever! In food, it is the cause of salmonellosis. The rod shaped bacteria live in the intestinal tracts of humans and animals and are passed in the excreta of an infected host. Untreated water, unwashed hands, flies, or vermin can then spread the bacteria. Salmonella can survive for weeks outside a living body and have even been found in dried excrement after nearly three years. The foods most commonly infected with bacteria are poultry, eggs, and all kinds of meat. Thorough cooking of these foods at a temperature of at least 165°F. (74 ºC) will destroy the salmonella bacterium. Each year, about 40,000 Americans are infected with food borne salmonella and develop salmonellosis. Amazingly, another 142,000 are annually infected with Salmonella enteritidis solely from consuming raw chicken eggs! About 30 die. In non-cooked fermented sausages, the microorganism must be destroyed using a combination of salt, a drop to less than 3.8 pH, and a minimum drop in Aw water activity to 0.94.

Clostridium Perfringens

Clostridium perfringens bacteria, like salmonella, is present in the intestines of humans and animals, but like clostridium botulinum, it is an obligate anaerobic and cannot grow in the presence of oxygen. The bacteria forms spores that survive very well in soil - thus vegetables may carry the organisms. Clostridium perfringens bacteria are most commonly found in raw foods, especially meats and poultry, and proper temperature management is fundamental in avoiding the spread of the microorganisms. In non-cooked fermented sausages, the bacteria must be destroyed using a combination of salt, a drop to a point less than 5.5 pH, and a minimum drop in Aw water activity to 0.93.

Listeria Monocytogenes

In October 2002, a major poultry producer in Franconia, Pennsylvania, recalled more than twenty-seven and a half million pounds of turkey and chicken "ready to eat" products they had already placed on the market. Following an outbreak of listeriosis, several other meat companies voluntarily shut down operations until the source could be identified. Unfortunately, listeria infection (listeriosis) in several northeastern states had taken its toll, initiating several deaths, sicknesses, miscarriages, and stillbirths.

Each year in the United States, an estimated 2,500 persons become seriously ill with listeriosis. Another 500 die, causing listeriosis to be the leading cause of death from food borne bacterial pathogens! Twenty to thirty percent of infections result in death! Listeriosis infection is caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. Pregnant women are twenty times more likely to contract listeriosis than other healthy adults and account for a third of all reported cases. The elderly, and persons with weakened immune systems due to cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, and other diseases, are especially at risk.

The rod-shaped Listeria monocytogenes bacteria do not produce spores and are found in soil and water. Most often, the bacteria get into food using manure as a fertilizer from animals having the infection yet displaying no ill symptoms. The bacterium is destroyed by heat while cooking or preparing food. Uncooked meats and vegetables and unpasteurized (raw) milk or foods made from unpasteurized milk may contain the listeria monocytogenes bacteria. Foods to be concerned about include soft cheeses and cold cuts at the deli counter, and many ready-to-eat foods such as hot dogs and raw vegetables. These items must be thoroughly cooked until they are steaming hot! Check the labels on Feta, Brie, and Camembert, any blue-veined cheeses, and Mexican cheeses such as Queso Blanco, Queso Fresco, and Panela. Unless labels clearly state they are made from pasteurized milk, avoid them. It is always a good idea to eat smoked seafood only in cooked dishes such as casseroles.

Whenever making fresh sausage from any raw meat, protection from listeria monocytogenes is dependent upon cooking the meat until the recommended internal meat temperature of at least 152°F. (66.6°C.) is reached. In non-cooked fermented sausages, the microorganism must be destroyed using a combination of salt, a drop to less than 4.4 pH, and a minimum drop in Aw water activity to 0.92. Sausage making is completely safe only when the rules are stringently followed.

Campylobacter Jejuni

It is now estimated that half of the chickens produced in America contain the spiral rod-shaped campylobacter jejuni microorganism that infects 13 persons in one hundred thousand. The bacterium does not produce spores. World wide, it affects about two and a half million people annually or 0.8% of the population. Most people who become ill with campylobacteriosis get diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain, and fever within two to five days after exposure to the organism. The diarrhea may be bloody and can be accompanied by nausea and vomiting. The illness typically lasts one week. Although comparatively few people die from the disease (about 125 each year), the symptoms are harsh and painful, usually requiring medical attention. Many chicken flocks are infected with campylobacter but show no signs of illness. In non-cooked fermented sausages, the microorganism must be destroyed using a combination of salt, a drop to less than 4.9 pH, and a minimum drop in Aw water activity to 0.98. Campylobacter may be easily spread from bird to bird through a common water source or through contact with infected feces. When an infected bird is slaughtered, campylobacter organisms are easily transferred from the intestines to the meat.

Shigella

Reactive arthritis is autoimmune condition that develops in response to an infection in another part of the body. People developing an infection having come into contact with Shigella bacteria, often devolp severe dysentery and reactive arthritis. Infection is made though fecal-oral contamination and as few a ten cells may trigger the disease shigellosis. The rod-shaped bacterium does not produce spores, is closely related to E.coli, but is found naturally only in man and apes. It does not affect other animals. In non-cooked fermented sausages, Shigella bacteria must be destroyed using a combination of salt, a drop to less than 4.0 pH, and a minimum drop in Aw water activity to 0.91.

Bacillus cereus

Bacillus cereus is a rod-shaped bacterium that develops spores. Some strains are harmful to humans when survival of bacterial endospores takes place whenever food is improperly cooked. This problem is compounded when food is then improperly refrigerated, allowing the spores to germinate. Infection causes severe nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. In non-cooked fermented sausages, bacillus cereus must be destroyed using a combination of salt, a drop to less than 4.3 pH, and a minimum drop in Aw water activity to 0.91.

Other strains of bacillus cereus can be beneficial as probiotics. The bacteria are facultative anaerobic (most active in oxygen but can survive without it) and are found mostly in the soil. The bacterium is difficult to identify, as it closely resembles staphylococcus aureus and other pathogens. Bacillus cereus is also known to cause problematic skin infections in humans that can be quite damaging, and difficult to eradicate.

2. Food Spoilage Bacteria

Mother Nature has always employed an efficient and practical means for reducing and eventually eliminating waste. Surplus organic material (without preservatives) no longer needed or not consumed while fresh, simply wastes away with the infection of several types of bacteria. Most often, a product simply falls apart and eventually disintegrates. Meats spoil by food spoilage bacteria breaking down proteins and fats. Brochotrix thermosphacta, pseudomonas spp., or a host of other spoilage-type bacteria, usually cause not only slime and discoloration, but also objectionable odors, terrible tastes, and intolerable textures as well. Each has its preferred temperature range for quick reproduction and some are most active inside a refrigerator. Others are active at room temperature or even smokers, heated up to 140°F. (60°C.). Although spoilage bacteria may not be life-threatening, they may certainly make life miserable for a week or two, if ingested in spoiled food. How do we stop food spoilage bacteria? Sometimes we can`t before it does its damage. However, most cannot survive a drop below Aw 0.85. Dried foods? Most are very palatable but not always preferred or practical.

You may wonder how the Great Plains Indians kept fresh buffalo meat from spoiling. Without salt, and plenty of it, bison jerky did indeed spoil! Rarely did they have freshly killed meat as an alternative to tough, chewy, dried buffalo jerky and most often it had to be soaked a few hours just to relieve enough of its salt content to make it palatable.

Although the spoilage bacteria is unpleasant, it is the pathogenic bacteria with which we are most concerned, as its presence in contaminated food is not always made evident by irregular odor, color, texture, or other normally perceptible means.

(Continued on Page 3)
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs more time on the grill! :D
User avatar
Chuckwagon
Veteran
Veteran
Posts: 4494
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 04:51
Location: Rocky Mountains

Post by Chuckwagon » Wed Jun 15, 2011 09:24

- Page 3 -

Microorganism Type 2. (Yeasts)

It is estimated that only 1% of all yeast species have been described. Yeasts are microscopic fungi that grow as single cells. They will grow on the surface or near the surface inside non-cooked, air-dried, fermented sausages, while molds grow only upon the surface. Neither yeasts or molds are affected by the pH drop during the fermentation stage of sausage making and as long as a high degree of humidity is sustained, they will grow within a wide temperature boundary. However, the two microorganisms grow much slower than bacteria and during the drying process, they develop much later. Both yeast and molds are entirely part of traditional sausage making as both metabolize some of the lactic acid created during fermentation. Increasing the pH, thus lowering acidity, the flavor of slowly fermented sausage is greatly enhanced. Yeasts are not as sensitive to increased levels of salt as are lactic acid bacteria and they need little oxygen to survive. Two yeasts especially tolerant of salt are Debaromyces hansenii and Candida formata.

Unlike bacteria, there are no known species that grow only anaerobically (obligate anaerobes). Yeasts grow best in a neutral or slightly acidic pH envornment but are able to grow in foods with a low pH, (5.0 or lower) and in the presence of sugars, organic acids, and other easily metabolized carbon sources. During their growth, yeasts metabolize some food components and produce metabolic end products. This causes the physical, chemical, and sensory properties of a food to change, as the food is spoiled. The yeast of the Zygosaccharomyces genus have long been associated with the food industry as a spoilage yeast. These species are able to grow in some of the more commonly used food preservation concentrations including ehanol, acetic acid, sorbic acid, high sucrose, benzoic acid, and sulfur dioxide.

Microorganism Type 3. (Molds)

Molds are microscopic fungi that grow in the form of multicellular filaments called hyphae. Ubiquitous in nature, molds are aerobic and grow on the surface of sausages. Wild growing "white" molds have been used for centuries on sausage surfaces to help prevent oxygen from penetrating the sausage and to help regulate or temper the drying cycle. Mold also oxidizes lactic acid - increasing pH, and it consumes oxygen to produce catalase, thereby reducing lipid oxidation and rancidity of fats. Penicillium nagliovense in particular, promotes lipolytic (breaking down of fats) and proteolytic (breaking down of proteins) development, greatly improving the flavor of fermented, air-dried sausages. In order to grow, molds need 75% humidity or more and higher temperatures facilitate their development. The sausage maker`s favorites include penicillium nagliovense and Fleming`s penicillium chrysangenum, from which the miraculous antibiotic penicillin was developed.

Spores And Mycotoxins In Molds

Some molds also produce spores and subsequently, mycotoxins. When mold spores are present in large quantities, their mycotoxins can certainly present a health hazard to humans and animals, potentially causing allergic reactions and respiratory problems. Exposure to (or consumption of) high levels of mycotoxins can lead to neurological problems and in some cases... death! Molds of color, especially green, should be wiped away with vinegar immediately. Although it is generally accepted that wild white mold is safe, it yet remains a wild mold and therefore its safety remains a gamble. For this reason, it is suggested that starter cultures, purchased from a reputable company, be used in sausage making to control microorganisms. I prefer and recommend the very fine Chr. Hansen Bactoferm™ products made in Denmark and distributed in Germany. To start a mold culture on sausage, most sausage makers dip them into a solution just before they go into the fermentation room or chamber having raised temperature and higher humidity - ideal growing conditions for fungi. I like to spray them using an atomizer. And yes, you really should put a little ventilation into your curing chamber. A couple of well placed 30-30 rounds should do the trick! :shock:

There will always be skeptical ol` timers and hardy, dogmatic ol` folks who may say, "We've never used that `newfangled bio-culture stuff` to make salami - our good ol` mold has been successful for years, and we haven't killed anybody yet, so what's the big deal"? Well, I have but one question... and I`ve wondered about it for some time. Just how many folks over the years have died of "natural causes"? :roll:

How Bacteria Multiply

Microorganisms do not grow in size - they multiply in number. And they do it very quickly! Lets take a look at the bacteria count of two particularly infamous nasty strains - E.coli 0157:H7 and staphylococcus aureus - both bacteria thrive at 98° Fahrenheit. It is crucial that meat be removed from this temperature range as quickly as possible during any sausage making preparation or cooking process. Because staphylococcus aureus bacteria are most often found around the nose and throat or on sores, and the foods most often contaminated with staphylococcus are moist and high in protein (such as meats), hands must be scrubbed, a hairnet or hat worn, and any contact with the mouth, nose, or acne sores etc., must be eliminated. Coughing or sneezing is inexcusable and indefensible during any phase of the sausage making process! The bacteria are usually passed onto food by the hands. "Staph" is even more dangerous because there is no tangible method to indicate whether the meat is infected; the taste, aroma, and appearance all seem normal. Proper temperature management is not only necessary, it is critical in avoiding the spread of staphylococcus microorganisms. Cooked foods not cooled quickly enough or are allowed to stand at room temperature too long, are susceptible to infection. How quickly do bacteria develop? Left on a table top on a warm late spring day, bacteria actually double each twenty minutes! In other words, E.coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria in "sterile meat" may easily number above 25,000 in three short hours without refrigeration. Worse, if the meat is ground into burger, the increased surface area increases the risk exponentially!


Non-Bacterial Contamination - (Parasites)

Trichinella Spiralis

Trichinella spiralis is a parasitic roundworm whose larval form may be present in the flesh of pork or wild game and its painful infection is known as trichinosis. The best way to irradicate the dangers of the trinchinella spiralis larva is to simply cook the meat thoroughly. However, not all sausagemaking procedures allow the meat to be fully cooked or even cooked at all. In these cases, "certified pork" must be used; pork that has been deeply (sub-zero) frozen for a prescribed amount of time. Because of new USDA regulations in American hog production during the 1970`s and 80`s, the disease in modern America has mostly been eradicated. For decades preceding the new rules, many hog producers fed hogs the entrails of other butchered hogs as the cycle continued until the modern rules were put into effect. By public demand over an extended period of time, American pork has become less fatty and mostly trichinae free. It is interesting to note that in England, as well as in many other hog producing countries, trichinella spiralis is virtually unknown.

Always follow the recommended cooking temperatures in recipes. The internal temperature of cooked fresh pork must reach at least 150 ºF. (65.5 ºC.) All hot smoked sausages should be cooked to 155 ºF. (68 ºC.). Cold-smoked or air dried sausages, whose formulas contain Prague powder #2, should be cooked to 120-135 ºF. (49-57 ºC.). Never judge by looks alone, whether meat is cooked sufficiently, and always check the internal temperature using an accurate meat thermometer.

Cryptosporidium Paryum

Cryptosporidiosis is a diarrheal disease caused by the microscopic parasite cryptosporidium paryum. Both the disease and the parasite are known as "crypto", and there is no effective treatment or cure for the nasty stuff. The parasite lives inside the intestines of humans and animals and is passed in the stool of both once infected. Most people with healthy immune systems will recover on their own having been infected. So why is it such a concern? Many people affected with other diseases as cancer etc., have weakened immune systems. Worse, the Crypto parasite has a protective outer shell allowing it to survive outside the body for long periods and makes it very resistant to the chlorine disinfection of any city`s water supply. Within the past two decades, cryptosporidium paryum ("crypto") has become recognized as one of the most common causes of waterborne disease (drinking and recreational) in humans in the United States. The parasite is found in every region of the United States and throughout the world. Millions of Crypto bacteria may be released in just one bowel movement of an infected human or animal. People may become infected after accidentally swallowing the parasite inside a recreational facility as a swimming pool or by simply eating uncooked food contaminated with cryptosporidium paryum. As food is prepared with water taken from a "chlorinated and disinfected" city`s reservoir supply, Crypto yet thrives. Cooks must destroy any possible contamination by completely cooking any food. How much heat? The USDA recommends at least 152 degrees F.

"Declaring War On The Bugs"

How are we to defeat pathogenic and spoilage bacteria in sausage? Is it possible to starve them? What about salt? How much should we use? We also know that bacteria cannot survive in an environment without moisture, so may we limit the amount of water available to bacteria to destroy them?

All good questions! However, contrary to popular certainty, salt does not destroy bacteria. It doesn`t even force water to evaporate. It does, however, immobilize or bind a specific amount of free water, preventing it from interacting with bacteria (or anything else). The measurement of "bound" water (not available to bacteria) is called "water activity", and is abbreviated Aw. How about serving a bacterium a dose of salt at first, while we deprive it of moisture? It works. For thousands of years, it has worked! How did your grandparents preserve fresh pork hams and bacons? Perhaps they were pioneers heading westward across the plains in a wagon with bacon, hams, or other cured meats in the larder. Salted hams were dried then "revived" in water before use. Bacon was cured with salt, smoked, and par-cooked. Your grandparents certainly knew that salting and par-cooking meats were positive steps adverse to microorganism survival! They were also aware that if they smoked meat, it not only tasted better but it was not likely to develop mold on its surface. Of course, they had to soak the salt from the flesh just to make it palatable. Nevertheless, it was meat - consumed along the trail, months after it had been initially prepared.

How about introducing acidity as protection against pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms? Bacteria hate acidity, right? But how much is enough? Doesn`t acidity affect the taste of the final product? It`s true, another effective method of preserving meat involves acidity introduced by various means. Of course acidity affects flavor and the addition of an acid is not just a simple resolution for every type of meat. Yet, without lactic acid - producing bacteria, we wouldn`t have wonderful, fermented type sausage. As we lower the pH factor, we increase acidity. Are microorganisms able to survive inside acidic foods? Not when the acidity is increased in a sausage by a drop below 4 pH. Lets investigate a most effective way of preserving non-cooked, fermented sausages such as salami and pepperoni, using lactobacillus or pediococcus - lactic acid bacteria.

pH - The Measure Of Acidity

Roughly, pH is the measurement of acidity or alkalinity in any substance using a scale from zero to fourteen. Pure water is said to be very close to neutral, having a pH nearly 7.0 at 77° F. Foods with pH less than 7 are said to be acidic, while foods having a pH greater than 7 are said to be alkaline or "base".

Aw The Availability Of Water

Not all the water in the cells of meat is available to microorganisms. Some of it is "bound" by salt, or other restrictive elements as sugar. The remaining water is known as "free water" and it is the only moisture available to bacteria as well as yeasts and molds. By adding salt or sugar to a sausage, we are able to restrict the amount of "available water" to pathogenic bacteria. Unfortunately, it also restricts available water to beneficial bacteria as well. Freezing water into ice is simply another method of "binding" or keeping water restricted from harmful bacteria. The measurement of "bound" water (not available to bacteria) is called "water activity" or Aw. Water Activity is measured on a scale from 0.00 (called "bone dry") to 1.00 - the measurement of pure water. Adding salt immediately binds a large amount of water.

Sterilized Spices In Sausage

The risk of bacterial contamination is the primary reason the meat industry uses only extracts of spices in cured meat products. In Europe, most dried spices are irradiated with intense gamma rays before packing, effectively killing the spores. Although irradiation for meat was approved in the 1990`s under the Clinton administration, it has been slow to catch on in the United States. The U.S.D.A. recommends the long-established procedure, and declared it to be entirely safe. Herbs and spices freshly picked and plucked from your own garden are fabulous when washed and prepared in foods for immediate consumption. However, a little fresh, non-sterilized basil or oregano, fresh from your prize-winning garden, may rapidly spoil jerky or meat used for sausage in a matter of only a few hours, producing any number of bacteria types. Whenever storing meat overnight for casing sausages, fresh spices will invariably begin to produce pathogenic and food spoilage bacteria, quickly devastating your product. For health`s sake, it is of utmost importance that you use only sterilized spices and herbs purchased from a reputable company, in making sausage.

Is bacterial contamination the only type of food poisoning? Absolutely not. Consider the toxins of poison mushrooms. Many are fatal. Recently in Salt Lake City, an entire Vietnamese family was tragically poisoned having made a mushroom soup from wild mushrooms found in a nearby canyon. Consuming the soup in one picnic meal on an outing, the entire family agonizingly died. Each year, many people become ill having eaten poisonous reef fishes, me included! Pesticides claim their toll also. Similarly, fresh fruits and vegetables can be contaminated if they are washed or irrigated with water that is contaminated with animal manure or human sewage.

3. Beneficial Bacteria

Binding available water (Aw) in sausage effectively confines it to a point where harmful pathogenic bacteria are no longer able to survive. The process is known as dehydration or limiting water activity. For centuries, this process, along with the chance addition of lactic acid-producing bacteria to increase acidity, has been responsible for safely preparing air-dried, fermented, sausages. Today, by adding carefully chosen strains of lactobacilli or pediococci, reducing the pH acidity to safe levels in fermented sausage has been most effective in destroying competing pathogenic bacteria. Historically, as the sausage maker unwittingly created ideal conditions for competing beneficial bacteria to thrive, pathogenic bacteria were deprived of nutrients, being literally crowded out of the way. Providing optimum temperatures and relative humidity for any number of previously unknown lactobacilli and pediococci bacteria, safe and tasty fermented air-dried sausages have been crafted for hundreds of years. Only since about the middle of the nineteenth century has man known what was actually taking place inside the fermentation process. Without beneficial bacteria declaring war on pathogenic bacteria, we would not have salami, pepperoni, summer sausage, or any number of other tangy, fermented air-dried sausages."

The staphylococcus genus includes thirty-two species and eight sub-species. Staphylococcus Aureus remains one of the most dangerous pathogenic bacterium known and can even survive an incredibly massive dose of fifteen percent salt! However, at least one of its strains has proven to be beneficial by promoting color fixing and flavor forming qualities in air-dried sausages. Closely related to Micrococcus, the two micro-organisms provide beneficial qualities to fermented air-dried sausages.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs more time on the grill! :D
User avatar
Dave Zac
Passionate
Passionate
Posts: 335
Joined: Fri Apr 16, 2010 11:39
Location: Bristol, NY

Post by Dave Zac » Wed Jun 15, 2011 13:26

My order is in the house. Just waiting on pot for fan now.

After the required reading I have a few questions:

Seminole says:Bactoferm™ T-SPX - slow culture for making traditional sausages and targeted for temperatures not higher than 24° C (76° F).

Use sugar.
Recipe says use Dextrose. My reading indicates dextrose in fast and medium fermented sausages. Sugar in slow fermented.

Also, thanks for making me read. For some reason I had it in my head thet we are using cure 1. The reading indicates (and directions on my BactofermT-SPX) that maybe we should be using cure 2 because of the long term drying and no need to refrigerate when done. Your homework assignment straightened me out on that.

Dave
ssorllih
Veteran
Veteran
Posts: 4331
Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2011 19:32
Location: maryland

Post by ssorllih » Wed Jun 15, 2011 18:30

I think the dextrose is in there to jump start the Bactoferm T-SPX.
My qustion is if you know what they fed the pig and you know there was no raw garbage in the feed, will the meat be free of Trichinae? If not how long and how cold Kills the little beasties?
Ross- tightwad home cook
ssorllih
Veteran
Veteran
Posts: 4331
Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2011 19:32
Location: maryland

Post by ssorllih » Wed Jun 15, 2011 21:09

I have assembled my fermentation chamber. Added the salt marsh and fan. With a gallon jug of ice covered with a wet towel I have 66 degrees and 91 % RH.
The jug of ice gets a lot of condensate if I don't cover it with a wet towel. Now I have to see if I can get the temperature down below 60.
Ross- tightwad home cook
User avatar
Chuckwagon
Veteran
Veteran
Posts: 4494
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 04:51
Location: Rocky Mountains

Post by Chuckwagon » Wed Jun 15, 2011 23:56

Hi Dave.
Do you recall reading about the difference in fermentation between American (short dry / sour (tangy) and European (long dry / no sour)? I must confess, the reason I suggested this particular recipe is that we are using the slowest culture - thus more subtle, aromatic flavor - a perfect example of the flavor so many people have never encountered in their lives. They just don`t sell this stuff in the markets of the world. However, we have to "wait" for it. Almost 3 months. But every bit worth the wait - you`ll see. Chr. Hansen says: "T-SPX is particularly recommended for the production of Southern European type of sausages, low in acidity with an aromatic flavor".
Relatively low temperatures below 76°;F. are typical for this type of salami because we just don`t need a high fermenting temperature for such lengthy fermentation. (Short-term `sour` fermentation uses high temperatures in a cure box).

Dextrose is only 70% as sweet as sugar and it is the ideal nutrient for pediococcus pentosaceus and staphylococcus xylosus. High volumes of dextrose (glucose) are never used in long-term fermentation. The reason it is recommended for the fast-fermented sausages is that there is not sufficient time for lactobacilli to break down the sugars. Sugar may be used in a long-term fermentation because it has the time to be reduced. However, dextrose is "ready to go" in any case and utilized immediately.

The reason we use cure #2 in a non-cooked, air-dried sausage, is that we need a reservoir of nitrate to be slowly broken down over time into nitrite. The nitrite in the formula goes to work immediately and is quickly reduced to nitric oxide - the substance that actually cures the meat. By the way, can you name the type of bacteria that must be present in order to react with nitrate to break it down into nitrite?

Hi Ross, You asked:
quote:
My qustion is if you know what they fed the pig and you know there was no raw garbage in the feed, will the meat be free of Trichinae? If not how long and how cold Kills the little beasties?
No one can guarantee such a thing Ross. There are just too many variables. The only positive method would be to look at it through a microscope. However, Trichinae Spiralis has been almost wiped out in this country. When I was a boy, it was still a threat. Luckily, the USDA made laws prohibiting the sale of pork from pigs that had been fed the entrails of previously butchered pigs. The law had an almost immediate effect on the quality of the meat available to the consumer. As consumers "demanded" further changes in pork, within a few short years the product contained very much less fat also. Most sausage makers believe that this endeavor was a mistake as pork fat equals flavor. Today, you are pretty much safe in buying pork in a store. However, some farmers still practice the old style feeding habits with the attitude that "it never hurt their daddies - why should it hurt them?"

Ross, I`m glad you`re experimenting with your chamber. That is our next move. I was going to have everyone finish up their chamber by the middle or end of next week so we can begin testing for humidity and temperature stability. I recommend... any method you can come up with for producing a variable temperature and humidity exchange. Keep testing and be sure to RECORD your findings. Nice going pard!

Oh yes, about your question concerning the destruction of the beasties... Click on this link: http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.php?t=4808

Good work, Wranglers!
Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs more time on the grill! :D
User avatar
Dave Zac
Passionate
Passionate
Posts: 335
Joined: Fri Apr 16, 2010 11:39
Location: Bristol, NY

Post by Dave Zac » Thu Jun 16, 2011 01:27

One more quick question on chamber and fan. I have cut a 2" hole in the back of my chamber and mounted the computer fan to the back of the chamber. After doing this I started to wonder if the hole will be a detriment to humidity and temperature control. Seems to me most I have seen have a fan sitting inside the chamber.

Should I re do the back to eliminate the opening and install the fan inside the chamber? My first thought was fresh air circulation would be good. I guess the other option is to simply watch it after I get started. I really don't want to be messing once I'm started though.
ssorllih
Veteran
Veteran
Posts: 4331
Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2011 19:32
Location: maryland

Post by ssorllih » Thu Jun 16, 2011 02:25

I still must attach the stick racks.. I am allowing 3- 24 inch long sticks on 6 inch centers starting 3 inches from the walls. My casings are somewhat smaller at 2.4 inches. I figure this will work out to about 6 sausages instead of four.

Will I need to prolong the drying time to develop the flavors? Or is the drying time dependent on diameter and mass?



The madness in my method was/is that I can get more slices from a smaller diameter.
After I have proved the food safety involved by eating some and living to tell the tale I may share some with those near and dear.


Where is it written that each sausage must be a single full length. Is it permitted to tie the casing in the middle so that with the six expected full casings I will get 12 pieces? I see in the stores many times 6, 8, 12 and perhaps 15 inch cased products.
Ross- tightwad home cook
ssorllih
Veteran
Veteran
Posts: 4331
Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2011 19:32
Location: maryland

Post by ssorllih » Thu Jun 16, 2011 02:36

Dave, My box is fairly tight with the air simply circulating inside. The temperature rises rapidly and the humidity drops when I open the front.
My read on the needs is that for the first 3 days it wants to be pretty damp about 68 degrees in there and then we start slowly dropping the temperature and the humidity.
I am still trying to chill mine down to the upper fifties. I think that I have a handle on the humidity .
I made this with a full inch of foil face foam.
I am thinking that a load of wet sausage or laundry will make control easier. When I get my sticks in there I may hang 10 pounds of wet towels inside and see how it works.
Ross- tightwad home cook
User avatar
Chuckwagon
Veteran
Veteran
Posts: 4494
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 04:51
Location: Rocky Mountains

Post by Chuckwagon » Thu Jun 16, 2011 05:36

Hi Salami Crafters,
We'd sure like to hear how everything is working out for all of you. How's it coming along guys? Did you do some reading? If not, why not take a half hour and catch up?

How are your curing chambers coming along? Everyone should have their supplies ordered by now. We need to hear from Rand in Iowa, JBK in Indiana, uwanna61 in Vermont, SikaStag in Scotland, Gray Goat in Illinois, and Party Cook in Wisconsin. Are you guys making progress? Anybody hankerin' for a slice of the best salami you've ever tasted? Time to ask questions guys.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Click On Arrow To View Next Page....................
Last edited by Chuckwagon on Thu Jun 16, 2011 08:17, edited 1 time in total.
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs more time on the grill! :D
Locked