Re: [CH] Safety of olive oil dip
Charles Demas (demas@sunspot.tiac.net)
Wed, 30 Jun 1999 19:47:47 -0400 (EDT)
On Wed, 30 Jun 1999, Ron Hay wrote:
> Some concern was expressed that an olive oil dip might engender
> botulism. I think not. Olive oil is a remarkable preservative; in
> addition the chiles would make it too acid for most microorganisms to
> live in.
The dips used I saw posted either used dried chiles, or were mixed
fresh for the table. Since botulism requires moisture to grow, using
dried chiles should be safe, and as it takes days in an anareobic
environment for the vegetative cells to develop, using fresh chiles
chopped up that day will also be safe.
I'm not sure that the chiles themselves will lower the pH to below 4.6
where botulism will not grow.
> Look at the diplays of magnificently arranged olives and peppers in
> those huge antipasto jars in Italian delis...the ones that cost the moon
> and then some. They would not be marketing them, importing them, if
> they were life-threatening.
There are several other preservatives that are used in commercial products
to insure safety. Don't presume that they have not used preservatives or
other methods to insure safety.
Chuck Demas
Needham, Mass.
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