Make Your Own Falernum - Tiki Drinks and Food

M Martiki-bird Tiki Socialite Kurume, Japan Joined: Mar 23, 2007 Posts: 140	M Martiki-bird Posted posted on Mon, Jan 7, 2013 11:47 AM You cannot get botulism from your Falernum going south. Mold may grow on the surface, but it WILL NOT be Botulism. I read a lot about this stuff at one time and can't quote the exact reasons, but it has to do with the sugar. It was covered in some articles on home made jams going bad. Botulinum toxin will just not grow in these conditions. It was also hinted that the mold, if it grows, is not likely a big problem either. In jam making, they just remove it. With this stuff though, I was too worried to just skim the mold off the top and keep using it. The place of the mold is just not discrete enough for me on the surface of a liquid as opposed to the side of a jar or surface of jam. Hey, since I want to make sureI see your smiling faces at future tiki events, so here are few food preservation facts useful to syrup-making. Cheers, Gina of the Jungle...aka Martiki-bird The botulism-causing bacterial toxin pops up in some odd places, so don't assume that it won't pop up in your syrups. The sugar in Falernum sucks the moisture out of bacteria, killing it through dehydration. But if the sugar/water ratio is not ideal, bacteria can grow. Falernum is probably not acidic enough, or salty enough, or oxygen-rich enough to be considered a hostile environment at room temperature. Many will tell you that the odds of getting dangerously sick from using contaminated/old syrup are LOW, but LOW is not the same as NO. Play it safe. Food poisoning sucks! Good Food management practices: Sterilize your bottles. Refrigerate your syrups. Store homemade syrups toward the back of the fridge (the coldest place.) Clean your fridge regularly so to keep ahead of mold. If your Falernum has gone bad (cloudy, moldy), toss it. If your homemade grenadine has gone bad, toss it. If your syrup has gone moldy, toss it. More facts for your perusal: MOLD is not BOTULISM, but MOLD does have the potential to make you sick. MOLD is a microscopic fungi.Some cause allergic reactions or respiratory problems. Certain molds produce mycotoxins, which are poisonous. MOLD has a higher tolerance for sugar, salt and cold than BACTERIA. BACTERIA needs water to live. Sugar and salt create hostile living situation for bacteria... BACTERIA thrives between 41 - 140 degrees F. BACTERIA still multiplies while in the fridge, but at a much slower rate. As soon as it warms up, those little boogers are back in action. BOTULISM is a life-threatening illness. It is caused by a toxin produced by a bacteria (the bacteria and its spore do not make you sick). The BACTERIA that can cause this thrives in an anaerobic (oxygen-free) low-acid environment. FYI, the practice of scraping mold off jelly is no longer considered safe. Aside from the mold that you can see, there may also be bacteria lurking alongside the mold. FOOD TEMPERATURE CHART http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/safetysanitation/a/dangerzone_tab.htm From the CDC http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/diseases/botulism/ From the USDA: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Molds_On_Food/index.asp#6 You can also get in touch with your County Extension to get the latest info regarding safe food preservation methods. This info is free.

You cannot get botulism from your Falernum going south. Mold may grow on the surface, but it WILL NOT be Botulism. I read a lot about this stuff at one time and can't quote the exact reasons, but it has to do with the sugar. It was covered in some articles on home made jams going bad. Botulinum toxin will just not grow in these conditions.

It was also hinted that the mold, if it grows, is not likely a big problem either. In jam making, they just remove it. With this stuff though, I was too worried to just skim the mold off the top and keep using it. The place of the mold is just not discrete enough for me on the surface of a liquid as opposed to the side of a jar or surface of jam.

Hey, since I want to make sureI see your smiling faces at future tiki events, so here are few food preservation facts useful to syrup-making.
Cheers,
Gina of the Jungle...aka Martiki-bird

The botulism-causing bacterial toxin pops up in some odd places, so don't assume that it won't pop up in your syrups.

The sugar in Falernum sucks the moisture out of bacteria, killing it through dehydration. But if the sugar/water ratio is not ideal, bacteria can grow.

Falernum is probably not acidic enough, or salty enough, or oxygen-rich enough to be considered a hostile environment at room temperature.

Many will tell you that the odds of getting dangerously sick from using contaminated/old syrup are LOW, but LOW is not the same as NO.

Play it safe. Food poisoning sucks!

Good Food management practices:

Sterilize your bottles.
Refrigerate your syrups.
Store homemade syrups toward the back of the fridge (the coldest place.)
Clean your fridge regularly so to keep ahead of mold.
If your Falernum has gone bad (cloudy, moldy), toss it.
If your homemade grenadine has gone bad, toss it.
If your syrup has gone moldy, toss it.

More facts for your perusal:

MOLD is not BOTULISM, but MOLD does have the potential to make you sick.

MOLD is a microscopic fungi.Some cause allergic reactions or respiratory problems. Certain molds produce mycotoxins, which are poisonous.

MOLD has a higher tolerance for sugar, salt and cold than BACTERIA.

BACTERIA needs water to live. Sugar and salt create hostile living situation for bacteria...

BACTERIA thrives between 41 - 140 degrees F. BACTERIA still multiplies while in the fridge, but at a much slower rate. As soon as it warms up, those little boogers are back in action.

BOTULISM is a life-threatening illness. It is caused by a toxin produced by a bacteria (the bacteria and its spore do not make you sick). The BACTERIA that can cause this thrives in an anaerobic (oxygen-free) low-acid environment.

FYI, the practice of scraping mold off jelly is no longer considered safe. Aside from the mold that you can see, there may also be bacteria lurking alongside the mold.

FOOD TEMPERATURE CHART
http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/safetysanitation/a/dangerzone_tab.htm

From the CDC
http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/diseases/botulism/

From the USDA:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Molds_On_Food/index.asp#6

You can also get in touch with your County Extension to get the latest info regarding safe food preservation methods. This info is free.

Post #663324 by Martiki-bird on Mon, Jan 7, 2013 11:47 AM