Experts are warning on canned goods!
As fall continues, the rush to prepare canned food at home continues. Pointing out the importance of the sterilization process, experts recommend that the vegetables and fruits to be canned should be washed very well and that intact raw materials should be used. Pointing out that it is not very safe to make canned food at home in terms of food safety, Food Engineer Selen Akbulut says that canning without performing the process steps in accordance with the technique can cause paralysis and even death. Akbulut reminds that the lids should be new and the jars should be single servings.
Üsküdar University Vocational School of Health Services Food Technologies Program Instructor Selen Akbulut said that canned food has become a product produced in almost every home today.
Stating that it is not very safe to make canned food at home in terms of food safety, Food Engineer Akbulut said: "Canning can be a very risky product that causes paralysis and even death if the process steps are not carried out in accordance with the technique."
Akbulut listed the main issues to be followed when preparing canned food as follows:
- It is very important to use a good, intact raw material.
- An effective washing is essential to remove the necessary picking/ sorting and pollution elements on it.
- All tools and equipment used should be washed with hot water.
The lids should be new, and the jars should be single-serving!
- A new lid must be used for all canned food. We create a risky product due to the fact that a used lid cannot provide vacuum again,
- The inside of the jars should also be sterilized with boiling water.
- The prepared canned material should be filled into the jar with hot filling and the lid should be tightly closed.
- It is important to consume the can after it is opened. For this reason, single-serving jars can be preferred, not large.
- Canned food should be stored in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.
Canned food is in the category of the riskiest products
Pointing out that canned food can be considered in the category of the riskiest products in terms of food microbiology, Akbulut said:
"The microorganism that poses a risk in canned food is an intoxicating pathogen with an absolute anerobic character known as Clostridium botulinum. This microorganism synthesizes its toxin, which is a neurotoxin, when suitable environmental conditions are provided. It occurs between 18 and 36 hours after consumption of the food containing toxins."
It can result in paralysis and death
Referring to the symptoms of poisoning, Akbulut said that "Early symptoms such pronounced weakness, dizziness, blurred vision and double vision, dry mouth, difficulty in speaking and swallowing, decreased heartbeat, low blood pressure, difficulty breathing, nausea, vomiting and constipation are among the general symptoms. Even very low grams of this toxin can result in paralysis and death in people. Even tasting canned food that we suspect can be paralyzing.”
The lid should be closed with 3 forward and 1 backward technique
Stating that fresh vegetables and fruits should be used for a healthy canning, Akbulut expressed that "It is essential to use a new lid for each canning jar. A very good heat treatment (boiling) should be applied to the material we will use for canning. With hot filling, we need to close the lid according to the 3 forward 1 back technique. Moreover, it is essential for food safety and consumer health to destroy canned food that has made bombing (swelling formed under or on the top of cans as a result of gas-forming microorganisms) and whose vacuum has been disrupted without even tasting it."
Reminding that all fruits and vegetables can be canned when the necessary conditions are met, Selen Akbulut said that "However, delicious canned food can be obtained by paying attention to this harmony since it does not lose its quality in heat treatment and taste-texture harmony are important parameters in canned production."
Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)