How to avoid botulism with home canning. What are the signs of botulism in canned food

Understanding whether there is botulism in conservation is not so simple. Even a seemingly ideal product can be dangerous to health and life due to the pathogens of this terrible disease contained in it.

Botulism is a severe toxic-infectious disease that leads to damage to the nervous system. In humans, the disease develops as a result of the ingestion of products or water containing botulinum bacillus (clostridia), an anaerobic causative agent of botulism, into the body. Clostridium in the process of life produces botulinum toxin - one of the most dangerous toxins.

The effect of botulinum toxin is expressed in a violation of muscle innervation, an increase in respiratory failure. Botulism is not contagious to others. Immunity to the disease is not developed, i.e., repeated cases of its development in the same person are possible.

Signs of botulism in conservation

You can try to test canned food for botulism by carefully examining the product itself and its packaging. However, it is still impossible to give a 100% guarantee that canned food is safe. With a high degree of probability.

In addition to these signs, there are no other signs to suspect botulism in canned food, since the color of the product, and the taste, and smell can remain unchanged. For this reason, it is most often impossible to distinguish normal canned food from infected ones. Even an expired expiration date does not always mean that products contain botulinum toxin. In other words, it is impossible to give an unambiguous answer to the question of how to determine botulism in a can of conservation.

You can say that the content is infected if:

on a glass jar the lid is swollen, on a tin one - the sides;
cloudy content;
spontaneous opening of the lid on the bank;
bubbles in brine, marinade (this is not visible in vacuum packaging, since there is practically no liquid in it).

All this may indicate not only signs of botulism in conservation, but also be the result of the activity of other bacteria.

How the pathogen gets into canned food

Botulism spores are initially found in soil or water. It is from there that they fall on berries, mushrooms, fruits and vegetables. Spores enter the body of animals after eating infected grass, and enter the intestines of fish after digging in the silt in search of food. When slaughtering (catching), cutting meat, spores enter the muscle fibers. And if such meat is canned, the jars are hermetically sealed - spores germinate into sticks, which, in turn, produce a dangerous toxin. As a result, food contamination occurs.

Dried and dried meat can also cause illness, because the muscle fibers after such preparation are strongly compacted, air does not enter their thickness, and botulism begins to develop.

Arguments in and of themselves are not dangerous. Health is threatened only by formed bacteria that can develop in an airless space. But it is not so easy to destroy spores: they are very heat-resistant and die only at 120 °C. It is possible to ensure such a temperature only in the factory, where there are special units - autoclaves. Home canned food, due to the lack of such equipment, cannot be considered completely safe.

What canned food can be contaminated with botulism

Many naively believe that botulism occurs exclusively in mushroom, fish or canned meat. In fact, any other hermetically sealed products can carry a danger.

What other canned foods can contain botulism:

in home compotes and juices;
in jams and preserves;
in canned vegetables (in squash caviar, in tomatoes, etc.);
in canned fruits, etc.

heat treatment

Home boiling without an autoclave at 100 ° C does not guarantee the death of Clostridium. However, it is still necessary:

sterilize containers and metal lids for at least 15 minutes;
boil the canned product for at least 20 minutes before rolling.

When canned food is opened, it will not hurt to additionally boil the contents again.

It is not a fact that these actions will completely secure the product, but they will significantly reduce the risk of poisoning with contaminated canned food.

Vinegar and salt marinade

Keeping a sufficient amount of salt and vinegar is another way to avoid contamination of the product during preservation. These ingredients must be added clearly according to the recipe, otherwise there will simply be no neutralizing effect on Clostridium. Therefore, it is strictly forbidden to violate the recipe and arbitrarily change the quantitative ratios of the components of the marinade or brine. In an acidic environment, the botulinum bacillus may not die, but at least it will not be able to multiply and produce botulinum toxin.

It is especially important to observe this rule when preserving low-acid foods (cucumbers, eggplants, zucchini, etc.).

General rules

They primarily relate to precautions and can help to avoid such a serious disease that leads to serious consequences like botulism:

pay special attention to the processing of products and the sterilization of containers;
before canning, wash the products thoroughly (especially for mushrooms);
strictly follow the cooking recipe (any amateur performance here can be too expensive);
if, after some time after preparation, the canned food is still swollen, it means that they were prepared with violations of the recipe and must be disposed of;
do not buy home-made canned food from strangers and do not take on canning yourself in the absence of experience;
Throw away expired cans.

Neglect of these rules is the height of irresponsibility, which as a result can lead to sad consequences.

In order not to take risks, it is best to purchase such products in a store where the goods get after high-quality industrial processing of canned food.

What to do if you suspect botulism in humans

Perhaps not every person without a medical education knows how to recognize botulism (if it was not known for sure that the victim ate canned food with signs of botulism). Moreover, the body temperature does not rise (or rises slightly), vomiting and diarrhea are absent or short-lived. In the absence of such symptoms, it is not immediately possible to suspect an infection and understand how to proceed.

If there is even the slightest suspicion of botulism, it is better to play it safe and urgently call an ambulance. Only a doctor can accurately determine by the first symptoms what is happening to the sick person and begin the necessary treatment.

But while the doctors are on the way, the victim with canned food poisoning should not be left unattended. Additional troubles may occur with him:

falling due to muscle weakness and injury;
tongue sinking or choking with vomiting due to a violation of the swallowing function;
panic due to sudden blurred vision, etc.

If the arriving doctors confirm botulism, the person will be hospitalized. This is vital, because the degree of danger of botulism is too high, and without qualified assistance, the death of the patient is inevitable.

In the department, they will first conduct an emergency laboratory examination (they will take vomit, waste water from the stomach after it has been cleansed for analysis), and they will definitely inject anti-botulinum serum. Also, with this disease, antibiotics, droppers and intensive care can be prescribed.

It is impossible to do all this at home, so the main help for a person with suspected botulism will be an urgent visit to a doctor. Not only how quickly the victim will recover, but also whether he will survive at all will depend on this.

Botulism is not just a dangerous disease. This is a significant risk to life. Therefore, in order not to get sick, it is best to refuse home canning if you are not confident in your experience in preparing such dishes. Although, given the insidiousness of the disease and the almost complete impossibility of recognizing botulism, no one can be sure of the safety here.

Worried about their health, many people on the planet today have abandoned most of the products that can cause botulism. This disease is also familiar to the inhabitants of Russia, although it is not common, there is a risk of getting the causative agent of this serious disease. For the first time, the world learned about the existence of botulism at the end of the 18th century, but the disease received its modern name at the end of the 19th century, and Hungarian specialists identified it. Today, many people want to know what causes botulism and what symptoms it has, and this particular magazine will help you figure it out.

Causes, symptoms and course of botulism

Despite the fact that botulism is not one of the most common diseases and no more than a thousand people fall ill with it worldwide every year, you need to be careful, because it is possible that you will also become part of an unpleasant statistic. Before considering the issue of botulism, in which products it occurs, it is worth getting to know it better and find out what are the first symptoms of its manifestation and how the disease proceeds. It is also important to know what causes the disease and how it can be avoided.

First of all, you should know that the disease occurs as a result of damage to the body by toxins secreted by the botulism bacterium. Its complexity lies in the fact that the central autonomic nervous system is damaged, and even those who escaped death, and death occurs in about half of the cases, experience serious health complications. The development of this deadly bacterium is possible only in the absence of oxygen, so the spores of the bacteria can live underground for a long time, from where they then get to the surface. It is characteristic that, unlike other pathogens, these bacteria do not die during drying, freezing, and even boiling. Botulism is often found in homemade products, so the risk of getting botulism is huge, and the cause can be improper preparation and preservation of ordinary products.

Among the products included in the "risk group", mushrooms can be distinguished, therefore, signs of botulism can often be found in mushrooms, since they have close contact with the ground, where the botulism bacteria develop. It is not uncommon to find botulism in conservation, and signs in cucumbers, and this is the result of non-compliance with the rules of conservation. Another characteristic feature of the disease is a short incubation period, and in some cases, symptoms of the disease appear as early as two hours after infection. Serious consequences are also associated with the fact that botulism in conservation, signs in stew, for example, resemble a common indigestion, so patients try to cope with these symptoms on their own, which seriously aggravates the situation.

The first symptoms of the disease are headache and disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, which is manifested by pain in the abdomen, vomiting and diarrhea. Botulism in preservation, signs in mushrooms, as in other products, are also weakness of the body, dizziness and fever, but visual impairment should be of particular concern, and it begins to fall, literally, before our eyes. If, in addition to this, it has become difficult for you to swallow, then this is definitely not a sore throat or an upset stomach, but a reason to take serious measures, and only specialists can cure botulism, while self-medication in this case is unacceptable.

How to prevent the occurrence of the disease

The causes of botulism in conservation and improperly prepared foods are a proven fact, and among the dangerous foods, in addition to canned food, there are also dried fish and meat, and other foods prepared in violation of technology. How to avoid botulism during conservation - this question is asked by many housewives involved in the preparation of products for the winter, although pathogenic bacteria have been isolated in industrial canned food more than once, and you can protect yourself without buying expired products in the first place. Botulism dies when boiled - this is what many people say, and this is indeed true, but it’s only worth remembering that the boiling point should exceed 120 degrees, and if the disease is in its infancy, you can protect yourself by boiling food for five minutes, disputes the field of five-hour boiling perishes.

Botulism and fungi

If you do not know how to avoid botulism in conservation, then you should remember that he is afraid of salting and pickling, and this will be enough to avoid the appearance and reproduction of bacteria. Botulism in pickled mushrooms, meanwhile, is not a rare phenomenon, and the reason may be their poor processing and getting into a jar of earth, and it is the source of the disease. Botulism in conservation, its signs in tomatoes are also not uncommon, and this is also associated with poor processing of products and violation of preservation technology, and it is known that all preservation must undergo heat treatment and sterilization.

What botulism looks like in mushrooms is a question that is difficult to answer, since it does not appear outwardly, but its consequences are clearly visible. You need to be more careful with mushrooms, because more often people die not from grebes, but from botulism in pickled mushrooms, but all losses are successfully attributed to inedible mushrooms. How to destroy botulism in mushrooms - such a question can be heard quite often, and the answer here is unambiguous - it is necessary to properly process the products, while it is better to boil the fruits of the forest for a long time (at least five hours), although many believe that for some varieties this is not important.

Mushrooms are often poorly cleaned, and then doused with boiling water, believing that this is enough. As a result, botulism, because no one knows how to determine botulism in mushrooms, and only a special analysis can help in this, but it is not realistic to do it at home. We can only think about how to destroy botulism in mushrooms. Follow the elementary precautions described above, although experts advise against preserving mushrooms altogether, and in no case should you buy mushrooms from strangers.

Botulism in cucumbers and tomatoes

Although not as common as in mushrooms, botulism also occurs in cucumbers, so spoiled and overripe vegetables and fruits should not be covered. Also, do not eat products from a swollen can - the first sign of a violation of conservation technology. If the disease affects cucumbers, there is botulism in preservation, signs are also present in tomatoes, so tomatoes must also be pickled or salted. There is no need to talk about the fact that vegetables should be washed well, although indifferent housewives often neglect these requirements.

Botulism in jam - proven by experts

Many people ask if there is botulism in jam, to which experts unequivocally answer that if there is botulism in preservation, signs in jam are far from uncommon, so evil bacteria can also lurk in this harmless sweetness. Jam botulism can also be beaten with minimal precautions such as sterilization and heat treatment. We hope that now such questions as whether there can be botulism in jam and whether it occurs in other products will no longer arise.

Nobody calls for abandoning home canning, because you can protect yourself by observing elementary rules, although experts identify a number of products that it is better to refuse to preserve at home. These are, in particular, mushrooms (as already mentioned), meat, fish and greens. In the case of meat and fish, you can use an autoclave, which usually kills the botulinum bacteria.

Details Created on 08/31/2018 09:12

For most of us, the word botulism has an association with canned food. First of all, this applies to mushroom preparations of home origin.

Why is botulism found in mushrooms and how to destroy a dangerous bacterium? Where does it come from in canned food and how to make spins in order to avoid dangerous poisoning? Let's figure it out.

Botulism is a dangerous infectious disease caused by toxins from the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. This stick lives in the soil and is distributed everywhere. It is able to form spores that are extremely resistant to adverse environmental factors - high temperature (up to + 120 ° C), lack of moisture, exposure to ultraviolet radiation and disinfectants. In oxygen-free conditions and at temperatures above +10 °C, the bacterium actively multiplies with the release of a large amount of gases. The key point here is the lack of oxygen access, in the presence of which bacteria of this species do not develop. Therefore, a blockage without air in the jar is an ideal breeding ground for dangerous bacteria. A by-product of the vital activity of the stick is the botulinum toxin, which has a paralyzing effect on the nervous system and muscles of animals and humans.

For fatal poisoning, a microscopic dose of botulinum is sufficient - from 5 to 50 ng / kg of body weight. Without timely medical intervention, death is likely in 30-60% of cases, and even with treatment, this figure approaches 10%. That is why botulism is one of the most dangerous foodborne diseases and its prevention among food poisoning ranks first among other diseases.

According to statistics, more than half of the cases of poisoning are associated with the consumption of canned homemade mushrooms. Why does mushroom poisoning cause botulism more often than others? Since bacteria are contained in the soil, it is very difficult to get rid of them when harvesting - mushrooms are the most polluted by the earth compared to other products, and you will not be able to completely remove its microscopic particles. As for industrial canned food, here the risk of botulism in mushrooms and other products is minimized, because the factories use special high-temperature conditions for sterilizing products.

How does botulism develop in mushrooms? Certain conditions are necessary for the accumulation of the toxin. The pathogen sticks enter the mushrooms along with the earth. The reproduction of bacteria occurs in closed jars without access to oxygen. The optimum temperature for botulinum is +35 ° C, therefore, when storing blanks at room temperature, the risk of poisoning increases. Home temperature sterilization regimes have practically no effect on pathogen spores, especially since they cannot affect an already produced toxin. And yet, compliance with a certain technology for spinning mushrooms reduces the risk of developing botulism to a minimum.

Since only those products that have been stored for some time under a tightly sealed lid without access to oxygen become dangerous to health, only canned food can be poisoned. For example, botulism in fried mushrooms is found when the original product was originally canned, and then opened and cooked.

To minimize trouble with mushrooms, observe the following rules for storing and preparing the product.

Keep canned food in a cool cellar, refrigerator, at a temperature not higher than +6 °C.
Do not store homemade preparations for more than one year.
Before eating, pickled mushrooms must be further processed - boiled, baked or fried.
Process the collected mushrooms immediately - do not leave them for tomorrow.
When harvesting, carefully cut off the mushroom, leaving the roots in the soil so as not to stain the entire contents of the basket with earth.
Thoroughly wash and clean raw materials from earth and debris.

Besides:

diligently clear your forest prey of needles and earth;
wash the mushrooms as you should, several times, preferably under running water;
boil the mushrooms twice before marinating, and be sure to drain the first water;
steam or boil lids and jars;
salt and vinegar in the marinade are necessary in sufficient quantities, since the acidic environment will be able to protect the activity of poisonous bacteria.

The only sure way to avoid botulism in mushrooms is to harvest them in such a way that airtight sealing is not required. This can be salting in an open way or drying. Proven old-fashioned methods will preserve the product no worse than a newfangled marinade.

What to do if such recipes do not interest you? Here are some tips to avoid botulism when canning mushrooms to minimize the risk.

Canned mushrooms should not be corked with metal lids. Unfortunately, most housewives do not follow this rule. Meanwhile, jars should be closed with parchment paper or tight nylon lids.
Recipes in which mushrooms are poured with hot marinade without boiling are very dangerous. In this case, canned food should stand in the refrigerator for at least 10 days and should be eaten as soon as possible.
To reduce the likelihood of botulism in pickled mushrooms, boil them for 30 minutes before canning.
Remember that boiling does not guarantee the destruction of the botulism bacteria, as the spores can easily withstand temperatures up to +120 ° C. Therefore, it is possible to sterilize canned food using an autoclave, in which a temperature regime above +125 ° C is possible.

A salted product will be safe for humans if it is kept for the right time before eating.

The basic rule for salted mushrooms: with the hot salting method (baking with boiling brine), the product can be eaten no earlier than after one week.

Sprinkling with salt requires more time, and for different types of mushrooms, the period may differ, for example:

dry salted mushrooms can be consumed after 6-7 days;
dry salted milk mushrooms in a month and a half;
dry-salted waves in 1.5-2 months.

If you start eating salted mushrooms ahead of time, you can greatly increase the risk of getting food poisoning.

It is very important to periodically mix the workpiece so that there is a sufficient amount of air in the jar of mushrooms. Oxygen destroys bacteria and prevents the development of botulinum toxin. Make sure that there is no mucus and a rotten smell, as these are the first signs of decay, which means that there is a risk of infection with Clostridium.

Dried mushrooms are safe in terms of botulism. The main thing is to be sure that only high-quality, non-poisonous mushrooms are sent for drying. Therefore, as in the case of pickled mushrooms, they should never be bought from unfamiliar sellers.

How to determine the presence of botulinum toxin in pickled mushrooms? The main danger is that outwardly the product may look quite harmless. Mushrooms taste good, do not change color and smell, however, microscopic amounts of toxin may already be inside the jar. Moreover, if several people eat the product, it is likely that not everyone will get sick, but one or two - those who have caught the toxin.

What signs should cause you concern if you “by eye” determine the quality of your mushroom preparations before serving them to the table:

the solution in which the mushrooms are located has turned from transparent to cloudy;
the metal cover is swollen (experts call this phenomenon "bombing");
tiny bubbles rush from the bottom of the jar to the lid.

All suspicious cans, as well as canned food with a shelf life of more than one year, should be thrown away without regret!

Do not risk your health and do not try to try the product - as mentioned earlier, botulinum can also be present in canned food that is outwardly unspoiled.

Eat only those mushrooms that you are sure of, because you yourself have collected them and cooked them. In a restaurant or at a party, refrain from mushroom treats, since according to statistics, it is precisely such festive feasts that turn into mushroom poisoning.

Remember that the toxin is extremely stable, and if, through your negligence, it ended up in a jar, neither vinegar, nor salt, nor time will destroy it. Therefore, be especially careful at the stage of harvesting mushrooms, follow all the recommended conditions.

Botulism is a severe and deadly infectious disease that affects the human central nervous system.

The causative agents are microbes (anaerobic) that can exist without oxygen. Under favorable conditions, they are able to multiply rapidly, while releasing a particularly harmful toxin - botulinum toxin. It is 400,000 times stronger than the bite of a rattlesnake.

Bacterial spores live in the soil, so they can get into canned food through vegetables (fruits, mushrooms or grains) that are poorly cleaned from the ground, unsterile jars, and dirty hands.

Worth knowing:

disease-causing bacteria are highly resistant. The most attractive habitat for them is home canned food that has not undergone proper heat treatment in a sterilizer or autoclave;
microbial spores can withstand heat treatment up to 100 degrees even for several hours. They die only at a temperature of 120 degrees, if the treatment is carried out for about half an hour;
canned products prepared at the factory undergo special processing, therefore they are safer;
so that bacteria do not appear in pickled cucumbers or other pickles, they must be stored in dark and cool places.

Botulism in canned food: how to distinguish normal from bad?

What foods cause botulism? You can suffer from botulinum toxin mainly through canned and pickled products. More than 85% of cases of poisoning fall on it.

Home canned food and twists most often become carriers of a dangerous fungus, because under production conditions everything is carefully sterilized, processed and tested in laboratories.

How to identify canned food unsuitable for food? The smell, color, and even the appearance of the marinade does not change; it is possible to determine whether there are spores of a toxic fungus in a jar only with the help of clinical studies. In domestic conditions, it can be determined by two signs:

lid swelling,
jar surface,
cloudiness,
pallor of canned broth.

This product should be thrown away immediately.

What foods cause botulism from canned food:

Tomato juice, tomato paste are the least susceptible to the development of botulism due to their low acid content;
Pickled mushrooms are more prone to botulism, dirt accumulated on their surface, improper heat treatment, broken preservation technology, increases the risk of its development;
Jam, pickled and canned vegetables can also become the subject of infection if they are not properly cooked and twisted.

What to do so that the twisted product is only a joy:

Clean, wash food before you start preservation;
Sterilize jars for at least 20-30 minutes, do not shorten the time;
Add not expired acetic acid to the marinade, the acidity should be above 1.5%;
Engage in the process of preparing canned food only in a sterile place where there is no dust, crumbs and other debris;
Can only fresh food, without flaws.

Other foods leading to the development of spores of bacillus botulism

What products, the use of which leads to botulism, have we not talked about yet?

Often, canned legumes are a source of botulism, especially when they are rolled up with pods, such as young beans or peas. It is better not to make such seamings at home, but to throw away cloudy and swollen ones without regret.

Strange as it may seem, but such spicy seasonings as garlic, horseradish, hot peppers can also become a source of botulism if they are cooked incorrectly - without the addition of vinegar and filled with oil when air cannot enter. It is impossible to determine the infection by appearance, sometimes small air bubbles can accumulate at the top.

Not everyone knows that honey can also be dangerous. There is a high probability that spores of botulism sticks get into honey, they do not develop in it, do not vegetate, and are not dangerous for adults. Infants can get sick, and who receive mixtures with the addition of honey, as well as babies and older - up to 2-3 years. The immune system of the child is still weak, good conditions are created in the intestines for the development of rods from spores, therefore it is not recommended to give honey to children under 3 years old.

Home-made preparations cannot be banned, these are favorite products cooked to the desired taste. You just need to decide whether you can follow all the rules for processing and sterilization in order to eliminate the possibility of poisoning.

Botulism develops in dishes with low levels of acidity, salt, poorly processed during cooking.

On the fingers, you can list products that are immune from infection with Clostridium:

Pickled cucumbers are dangerous for botulinum toxin. An unfavorable environment for reproduction, the presence of oxygen does not allow infectious agents to spread.
Tomato juice has a low pH and is not suitable for Clostridium. Tomato in borsch is not a threat!
Sour canned foods prevent the development of infection. If bacteria got under the jar during cooking, they will not be able to release a dangerous toxin under such conditions.

Treatment of pathology takes a lot of time, leads to complications. If you eat high-quality food, properly prepare preservation, nothing will threaten your health.

Signs of a toxic-infectious disease in conservation

The main danger of botulinum toxin is that it is not noticeable visually and to taste. In addition, microorganisms can develop only in part of the product, without affecting the entire contents of the jar. Only in some cases can botulism be suspected of conservation. Signs in mushrooms and vegetables can be expressed in a swollen lid. If this is obvious, such a preparation should never be eaten, it can be deadly.

Moreover, mushrooms are the most prone to this problem. It is they in canned form that often lead to infection. This is explained very simply: if the mushrooms are not thoroughly cleaned of soil pollution before salting, they become a source of clostridia. With insufficiently thorough sterilization of containers, microorganisms multiply immediately after seaming. Thus, salted and pickled mushrooms can always be a potentially dangerous product.

Mushrooms and root crops are most often infected with clostridia, and other vegetables to a lesser extent. Carrots and beets are the most at risk, as soil particles are most likely to remain on them. To protect yourself, you need to wash the vegetables to be preserved very carefully. This must be done under running water and repeated several times, which will reduce the danger of botulism in conservation.

Signs in cucumbers and other canned vegetables can be expressed not only in a swollen lid, but also in gas bubbles on the surface of the workpiece. In addition, the cloudy consistency of the contents of the jar can also mean danger. It is worth remembering that botulinum toxin can only be detected in the laboratory, and the above signs may indicate infection of the product with other microorganisms.

You can try to test canned food for botulism by carefully examining the product itself and its packaging. However, it is still impossible to give a 100% guarantee that canned food is safe. With a high degree of probability.

You can say that the content is infected if:

on a glass jar the lid is swollen, on a tin one - the sides;
cloudy content;
spontaneous opening of the lid on the bank;
bubbles in brine, marinade (this is not visible in vacuum packaging, since there is practically no liquid in it).

All this may indicate not only signs of botulism in conservation, but also be the result of the activity of other bacteria.

It is not difficult to identify the disease by its characteristic symptoms.

Cupping signs of the presence of the causative agent of botulism are not easy to identify. In some cases, clostridial activity is on the face, in others, the case ends with an intensive care unit.

The main external manifestations of botulism in the bank:

An unattractive shell should alert in the first place. If the lid of the jar is swollen, canned food should not be eaten.
The content fades, becomes cloudy.
Preservation under a rusty lid does not always indicate a disease, but it can indicate prescription and possible danger of products.
Bubbles of gases inside the jar are a sign of the active life of Clostridium. Canned food is prohibited.
There is an unpleasant smell from canned food (a rare sign).
The taste of the delicacy becomes specific.

The constant mutation of microbial cells, the daily mutability of living bacteria leads to a high adaptive reaction of the latter. No one gives a 100% guarantee of the safety of an unmodified conservation. Microorganisms, so as not to be calculated, do not show the presence inside the jar. A person eats a seemingly attractive canned food, and a couple of days later lies in a hospital bed. Signs of botulism in canned food don't always stop intrepid people.

Meat, vegetable, fish, mushroom closed products help out on cold winter evenings, when store products do not please the wallet. The high risk of botulism infection makes you wonder - is it worth risking your health for a few spoonfuls of conservation?

There are two ways to avoid the occurrence of pathology: refuse to preserve or cook everything according to the rules, carefully selecting products.

After about 12 hours, signs of botulism poisoning appear. After a person has eaten a homemade canned product with botulism, the first sensation is:

dry mouth
mist in the eyes
double vision,
symmetrical weakness in the shoulders, arms and legs,
yet normal! body temperature, blood pressure and pulse,
diarrhea and vomiting are optional, but quite common.

The toxin first hits the autonomic nervous system. There is a feeling that the eyes are doubled. The patient experiences a lump in the esophagus, it is difficult for him to swallow, and first solid food, then liquid. It seems that the lesion grows from top to bottom.

Botulinum toxin blocks the transmission of impulses from the nerve to the muscle. The muscle does not work, because the signal does not come to it - the neuromuscular transmission is disturbed. Muscles gradually stop moving up to complete paralysis. The person stops breathing when fully conscious. Botulism can be fatal.

How botulism gets into conservation and how to recognize it

Bacteria can get into conservation in several ways:

with soil, i.e. with poorly washed vegetables, berries, mushrooms;
through the intestines of dead animals;
through poorly washed or sterilized dishes.

Meat that is prepared for salting or curing can carry the risk of infection. Poor processing is the path to infection. Fans of sweet blanks are interested in whether botulism can be in jam that housewives prepare for the winter. In fact, it's quite likely. This is especially true of fresh berries grated with sugar.

Recognizing botulism is not easy. Often, in appearance, harvested vegetables or meat are no different from a quality product. Even the taste and smell will not give out poisoned preservation. But there are points by which you can understand how to determine botulism in a jar. Signs of botulism in canned food:

a swollen lid (the fault of this gas is a waste product of bacteria);
turbidity in the bank;
bubbles;
mold.

The reactions taking place in the bank are not visible in full. These manifestations are only a small part of what happens to the product inside the container. With a swollen lid, cloudiness may not be. But if you notice any sign, it is better to immediately set aside such preservation. The taste and smell can not know the presence of a toxin in the product. It is worth paying attention also to the foam under the lid.

It must be remembered that some canned foods are more prone to the appearance of botulism in them:

mushrooms (a lot of microbes remain on them, they must be processed very carefully);
berries (botulism in jam is also common);
dried vegetables, fish and meat;
stew;
fish.

As for fish, this is the product that you need to choose very carefully. Botulism bacteria are found in the intestines of animals. Improper cutting and handling of carcasses can be life threatening. You should not buy dried fish from people you don't know well.

Why Canned Botulism Survives

Symptoms of the disease

The first symptoms of the disease can appear both after a few hours and after 3-5 days. First, the pathology is manifested by a violation of the functioning of the digestive tract, as after ordinary poisoning, and the patient has:

vomit;
nausea;
diarrhea;
stomach ache.

Gastrointestinal disorders are replaced by such specific clinical symptoms of botulism as:

muscle weakness (it is difficult for the victim to stand, move, take something in his hands);
manifestation of dry mouth;
nasal voice;
violation of speech and the act of swallowing;
lack of facial expressions (amimia);
pronounced bloating;
constipation due to decreased intestinal motility;
increased heart rate;
increase in blood pressure;
superficial nature of breathing with increasing respiratory failure;
dilated pupils (inability to focus on any object);
pale integuments of the skin due to vascular spasm;
urinary retention.

How to protect yourself from botulism infection

The botulism bacterium is very tenacious in the soil. Therefore, the main rule of prevention is cleanliness in the kitchen and hand hygiene. It is also important to know that the disease can be of several types. Foodborne botulism is the most well-known type of the disease. But they also distinguish wound and children's botulism. With a wound, the infection enters the body through an open wound. Prevention measures include the following:

Do not eat vegetables from jars with swollen lids. This is the first and most important sign of botulism. Such products have no place on the table.
When canning marinades (blanks with the addition of vinegar) are safer than just pickles. Vinegar neutralizes botulinum toxin (while a strong concentration of salt does not interfere with his life).
It is important to know at what temperature botulism dies. If you have any doubts before using canned food, you need to remember what botulism is afraid of, boiling is the most effective measure.
If a canned product is bought in a store, it is important to pay attention to the harvest date and expiration date.
Every housewife needs to know the rules of preservation and prepare pickles for the winter only by prescription.
To prevent wound botulism, you need to properly wash and treat wounds.
In order not to become infected with infantile botulism, you should not give honey to children under one year old.

Botulism can occur suddenly when a person eats their own food. Even if salt and vinegar are used in harvesting, botulism microbes are not always an obstacle. Once in a jar with dirty food, bacteria can survive in a brine prepared according to all the rules. It is important for all housewives to know how to kill botulism in a jar.

Botulinum toxin is destroyed by boiling for half an hour - this should be remembered if you are alerted by canned food purchased or prepared on your own. If an unpleasant situation occurs, and you feel signs of illness, it is important to immediately call an ambulance and rinse your stomach. It is better not to joke with this infectious disease and trust competent doctors. In this case, the prognosis of treatment will be favorable.

In Russia, botulism became common thanks to fish as early as the 20th century. It was fish products from sturgeon that discovered botulism for Russian medicine.

After a long study, it was revealed that the fish of the sturgeon family - salmon, is predisposed to the development of this toxic fungus.

Which fish products cause botulism? River fish can also be classified as potentially dangerous: bream, gobies, herring and omul. To avoid poisoning, you should follow simple and reliable recommendations:

Never salt the fish that has lain fresh without any processing, necessary storage conditions;
Fish that are going to be eaten without additional processing in salted or smoked form should be kept in the freezer;
If there is a suspicion of botulism, immediately discard the fish, no thermal treatment will save it from the toxin;
The salting technology is simple - the salt content is more than 17%, the product must lie in a saline solution for at least 1-2 days;
Buy fish only from trusted persons who have documents and a certificate confirming the quality of the goods.

Many naively believe that botulism occurs exclusively in mushroom, fish or canned meat. In fact, any other hermetically sealed products can carry a danger.

What other canned foods can contain botulism:

in home compotes and juices;
in jams and preserves;
in canned vegetables (in squash caviar, in tomatoes, etc.);
in canned fruits, etc.

However, the most common risks are:

Homemade marinated mushrooms. It is impossible to completely wash off soil particles from mushrooms (small grains of soil remain inaccessible in the depths of the plates and tubes of mushrooms), as a result, spores fall into the jar, the process of bacterial development starts. Especially dangerous is the fact that jars with mushroom blanks do not always swell, there may also be no other signs of botulism. Thus, the contents are eaten and the person becomes ill. The number of deaths from botulism, caused by canned mushrooms, is the largest.
Meat stew. It occupies an “honorable” second place after mushrooms in terms of the number of infections. In homemade meat stew, there is also a high probability of the presence of clostridium. Store-bought versions of this product are much less dangerous, because in production it undergoes high-temperature processing. But you still need to check the contents of the cans for appearance and look at the expiration dates.

The time for the development of botulism in canned jars is always different and depends on a number of factors:

From temperature (bacteria develop faster in heat).
From the amount of protein in the canned product (if there is little protein in vegetables, the development of botulism bacteria can last up to a year, and in meat, fish and mushrooms - a maximum of a month and a half).
From the initial number of spores (the more of them got into the jar, the faster the infection of the product with bacteria will occur).
From the shelf life (the longer the infected product is stored, the more botulinum toxin it contains).
From tightness.
From the presence of other bacteria and microorganisms in the same jar (for example, clostridia do not get along with lactic acid bacteria, yeast, mold, and also do not take root well in fermented foods).

And if favorable conditions have arisen that are necessary for the development of botulinum bacillus (warmth, lack of oxygen), this pathogen can develop in any product into which its spores have fallen.

Botulism poisoning: what to do, how to be treated?

If a person has symptoms of intoxication, and you find signs of botulism in conservation, urgently call an ambulance!

First aid measures will also not bring much success, since botulinum toxin is quickly absorbed into the blood plasma. But if possible, if no more than 2-3 hours have passed after eating spoiled canned food, you can wash the stomach. Then, without wasting time, deliver the victim to the hospital. Doctors will determine the type of toxins and inject the necessary serum.

cleansing the body;
elimination of neurological symptoms.

Today, botulism has been successfully treated, and it is extremely rare to die from it. Treat in two ways:

Anti-botulinum serum - an injection with antibodies-immunoglobulins.
In the extreme, if the patient stops breathing, artificial ventilation of the lungs becomes the only way to save a life.

In most cases, botulism poisoning has a favorable outcome, without irreversible changes. A person is not allowed to die from respiratory arrest and gradually life activity is restored. But not as fast as we would like. Treatment can last from 1 month to six months. All this time, the person lies on a ventilator.

An interesting fact is that in very small doses, botulinum toxin is used in cosmetology.

Botulism in jam: an unhealthy dessert.

If we talk about what products botulism occurs in, we can safely say in jars of jam. Any type and variety falls under this category, be it apple, raspberry, peach or currant.

Botulism is formed and enters the jar under two circumstances:

If the place of procurement of supplies was not sterile clean, there was dirt, dust, crumbs, dishes and jars that were not sterilized and washed;
If the ingredients of the future jam were not carefully chosen and selected.

Prevention measures:

Sort fruits and berries before cooking. Soft, beaten, rotten, they are not even suitable for wine and tinctures;
Sterilize the jars according to the instructions;
Wash the jam ingredients several times under running water;
Cook jam only in clean bowls and pans, wash your hands before rolling.

By following simple tips, carefully selecting canned products, you can protect yourself and loved ones from acute botulism poisoning. The disease leads to death in 65% of cases.

Prevention of botulism

It is easy to get poisoned by home products, but it is difficult to treat pathology. Botulism does not occur out of the blue, it is preceded by many factors. If they are eliminated, the infection cannot form inside the jar. Disease prevention:

Before cooking, carefully process tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, meat from dirt. You will have time to preserve the pathogen along with food, it is better to spend a couple of extra hours to thoroughly clean the products from contamination.
To avoid unforeseen situations, cook according to the recipe, do not engage in experiments that can end in failure.
A preventive measure for botulism is pasteurization. Disease prevention depends on the processing of canned food.
At the first sign of clostridia, dispose of the missing product. Try to protect yourself from infection in the early stages.

All jars with swollen or spontaneously opened lids must be disposed of immediately. It is strictly forbidden to use such products, even after heat treatment.

Mushrooms and meat products that cannot be completely cleared of spores should be harvested only in leaky sealed containers, as this provides oxygen access during the canning process.

For reference. When preparing mushrooms, it is necessary to use marinades with an acidity of 0.4-0.9% for canning porcini mushrooms, and for cooking black mushrooms - 0.3-0.5%.

Before preserving, salting or marinating, all products must be thoroughly washed. The use of spoiled and damaged vegetables is not allowed.

All products that do not contain natural acids should only be prepared according to recipes that provide for the addition of the necessary amount of acid needed to ensure long-term storage of the blanks.

For the manufacture of fish pickles, curing, etc. only fish caught in the net (no hook injury), quickly butchered (removal of the entrails), not kept warm (quick frozen) can be used.

During cooking, the fish must be in an unsealed container.

For reference. All products (canned food, marinades, stews, etc.) should be stored in conditions no higher than 3-4 degrees. At this temperature, as a rule, there is no transition of spore forms into toxin-producing ones. The exception is Clostridium serovar E. This type of botulinum clostridia is capable of producing toxins even at a temperature of 3 degrees.

The most effective method of prevention is the refusal to use products prepared at home, in violation of sanitary requirements, and also without thorough heat treatment.

Botulism is a serious disease most commonly contracted by eating food containing the bacterium. Clostridium botulinum. Homemade canned foods and underprocessed foods can contain deadly bacteria. Botulism can be contracted even if such a bacterium enters a wound. The best ways to prevent botulism are proper food preparation and medical monitoring of wounds.

Steps

What is botulism

Types of botulism. Botulism is a rare medical emergency. Botulism leads to paralysis and death, regardless of the method of infection. To prevent botulism, it is necessary to know the methods of infection. Here is some of them:

Prevention of botulism of different types. Unfortunately, not all types of botulism can be prevented. Foodborne and wound botulism is preventable, but infantile and intestinal botulism is not. Here's what you need to know:

Botulism symptoms. The incubation period for botulism is 6 hours to 10 days. If left untreated, botulism leads to death. If you experience any of the following symptoms, contact your doctor immediately:
- Double vision, clouding and drooping of the eyelids
- Slurred speech
- Difficulty swallowing or dry mouth
- muscle weakness
Symptoms in children. Botulism most commonly affects infants, so it is important to know the symptoms. If your child develops any of the following symptoms of paralysis, seek emergency care immediately:
- Apathy
- Refusal to eat
- Prolonged crying
- muscle weakness
Warnings
- People who survive botulism may have signs of fatigue and shortness of breath for years. They usually require long-term therapy to fully recover.
- Botulism can cause death due to respiratory arrest.