Calculating Legal Amounts Of Sodium Nitrite

vilor
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Post by vilor » Tue Feb 07, 2017 00:55

I was rejected in the following ways:

I have contacted several university extension professionals who publish for farmers-no reply.

I have contacted various food inspection agencies-non reply, or start conversation and drop, after finding out I am a person, not a company.

I have attempted to take sausage making classes, contacted instructors with question: "Are any of the recipes used in class HACCP approved?" The reply was, that they are time proven.
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Butterbean
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Post by Butterbean » Tue Feb 07, 2017 01:28

The gov't isn't known for its efficiency or service. I did a google search and found this. Maybe a private firm would fit your needs.

http://www.midwest-food-safety-consulting.com/
vilor
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Post by vilor » Tue Feb 07, 2017 03:00

Thank you again. I can make my own plan, problem is getting it approved. To illustrate that I am not a freak, wound up in regulations let me give you all another angle.
I share my "art" and give it to children. I want to make sure that my safety is not below the over the counter product. There are multiple references of prolonged periods of smoking for ham. O.k. I am taking several books and check jerky recipes, for which extensive compliance literature is published. Almost all of these book-published "time proven" recipes are below the FDA (or whatever agency) temperatures. So, more than 50% of available jerky recipes are below the industry safety standard.

So, am I paranoid?

Now back to ham, if I smoke at above 54C internal, that means 80C in the smoker that means formation of exterior smoke barrier crust. Smoking below 54C internal is botulism hazard. At this point I go with 35 internal for 4 hours (validated on beef stock cooling time/temp)
Sorry for long posts.
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Bob K
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Post by Bob K » Wed Feb 08, 2017 15:51

vilor wrote:Now back to ham, if I smoke at above 54C internal, that means 80C in the smoker that means formation of exterior smoke barrier crust. Smoking below 54C internal is botulism hazard. At this point I go with 35 internal for 4 hours (validated on beef stock cooling time/temp)
Sorry for long posts.
But if the ham was cured with nitrite/nitrates have you not eliminated the botulism risk? As long as other safe handling processes/ procedures were followed.
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Post by vilor » Wed Feb 08, 2017 16:12

Risks in food industry are not eliminated, they are reduced. For example I have seen regulations requiring additional nitrites for vacuum packed ham and bacon. I interpret it as: residual nitrites at the time of packing are not adequate as botulism hurdle.
I have research showing nitrite reduction curves during aging, and these make me worry.
This opens another conversation about a very popular (among hobbyists) vacuum equalization production methods for dry cured ham.
Last edited by vilor on Wed Feb 08, 2017 16:55, edited 2 times in total.
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Bob K
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Post by Bob K » Wed Feb 08, 2017 16:37

Well I guess you could probably find a risk in any food product or production method.
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Post by vilor » Wed Feb 08, 2017 16:49

All I want, is to validate that the risk is at or below the industry standard. Hobbyists do a lot of things safely, including loading ammunition that involves a risk of blowing off ones head. I make sausage for over 20 years, and this is not the first time I raise the question to the sausage loving community. The "best" suggestion I found so far from some corners of the internet is "if you are so worried, find another hobby".

In any event, the world is big and someone might have seen and will share a HACCP plan, an industry standard or whatever there is out there that my goole search had ignored.
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Post by Bob K » Wed Feb 08, 2017 17:06

https://public.health.oregon.gov/Health ... ausage.pdf

Just search for USDA regs on a product, a lot more out there than we need.
vilor wrote:The "best" suggestion I found so far from some corners of the internet is "if you are so worried, find another hobby".
Well you may be a bit over cautious. :shock: :grin:
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