Let’s talk about botulism 🚫🦠 Judging from comments on my videos, a lot of people are afraid to start or even consider fermenting because of a completely overblown fear of botulism, without actually understanding how it occurs, what the real risks are and knowledge on safe fermentation practices. Food-borne botulism is a rare but very serious illness caused by consuming foods contaminated with the botulinum toxin. Botulism bacteria thrive in oxygen-free environments which is why they are more commonly associated with improperly canned foods rather than fermented foods. It is highly unlikely for botulism to develop in properly conducted fermentation, especially lacto-fermentation, because it naturally creates high acidic, low ph conditions that inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria. As long as you work with clean equipment, the correct salt ratios to keep a low ph (if you’re really concerned you can even measure the ph of your fermentation) and keep your produce submerged in brine, it is incredibly safe. So many cultures around the world have been safely fermenting for centuries so it really isn’t as complicated or unsafe as you might think. And as always, trust your gut and if it looks or smells off, don’t eat it! Keep in mind though that cloudy brine is normal during lacto fermentation so please educate yourself first on what “off” could look like so you don’t waste whole batches of food 🙂 All recipes shown in the video, as well as all my fermentation knowledge, Q&A and troubleshooting tips are part of my new ebook (link in profile)
#fermentation #botulism #probiotics #lactofermentation