Theoretical Canning Question

[Cassandra]

Ok, you mathies! It's pop quiz time! LOL I am kidding

About ten years ago, my older son did an science project where you boil plain water and check the temperature. Then you add a little salt and boil it again and check the temperature. Then you re-measure the same quantity of water and increase the quantity of salt, etc..

Each time we increased the quantity of salt, the water boiled at a higher temperature. I don't remember exactly, but I think we got the temp up to 225 or 230 with the addition of a few tablespoons of salt. (you see where this is going)

Could you add enough salt to water to get it up to a high enough temperature to kill botulism?

I am not thinking it would be wise, or even economical to put a few boxes of salt into a few gallons of water to try to increase the temperature to 250.

But would it be possible?

Cassandra

 

[Nuggetsowner:)]

HHHMMM....good question. I have heard of an experiment like that but never tried it with my boys. Does anyone know at exactly what temp botulism is "killed"??

 

[pioneergirl]

I found this in Wikipedia...

While commercially canned goods are required to undergo a "botulinum cook" at 121 C (250 F) for 3 minutes, and so rarely cause botulism, there have been notable exceptions such as the 1978 Alaskan salmon outbreak and the 2007 Castleberry's Food Co. outbreak. Foodborne botulism has more frequently been from home-canned foods with low acid content, such as carrot juice, asparagus, green beans, beets, and corn.

( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botulism#Prevention )

It also recommended boiling home canned foods for 10 min before serving, and any baked potato cooked in aluminum foil should be kept hot until served, or refrigerated.

I'm actually glad this was posted because so many people say "aren't you worried about getting sick?"...so now I know!! lol

As for the salt issue, I'm still researching that, LOL

ETA: I found this...

It increases the boiling temperature (although not really all that much). A few teaspoons of salt, like you might for cooking, only changes the boiling point 0.5 or 1 degree.

How salt efects the boiling point of water is that if you add salt to water then the tempature will get higher because salt helps it get hotter. It helps it get hotter by the ingredents in the salt and more heat there is the more it boils and the more it boils the hotter tempature.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_does_table_salt_increase_the_boiling_temperature_of_water

That was the 'common folk' answer...the scientific answer used words I couldn't understand, and I like to think I have a pretty extensive vocabulary, lol.

From what I could understand was that as the water heats up, it causes the salt molecules to move faster, and that movement causes heat, which in turn causes the water to increase in temperature, and boil at a faster rate.

I remember reading that the same principal works with microwaves...the waves cause the molecules to move about, causeing heat, hence heating your food.

Now my brain hurts, I'm going to need more coffee for this, lol.

 

[Cassandra]

Oh, I think I get it.

Good research, PG. I really love physics and all that. Shame I'm too dumb to understand most of it. LOL

Cassandra

 

[patandchickens]

Could you add enough salt to water to get it up to a high enough temperature to kill botulism?

Possibly (if not salt then some other solute), but since you wouldn't be EATING the result bleah (it would probably kill you too ), whether it's got live Clostridium in it or not is kind of irrelevant <g>

Pat