Protecting families from contaminated food and water
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Protecting families from contaminated food and water
Posted in Food Safety,Our Blog on August 19, 2026
Canning season is quickly approaching, and people are looking for new and improved ways to preserve the foods they love and extend the tastes of the seasons for as long as possible. What some new canners don’t know is there are some things we should absolutely never try to preserve and noodles are one of those things. Today we look at the dangers of home canning noodles and why it works for corporations.
Noodles, other pasta and rice will become mushy. However, the most important reason is that adding these items slows the penetration of heat into the jars of soup; thus, heating of the soup in the jars may be insufficient to kill spores of Clostridium botulinum, the bacteria that causes deadly botulism.
Clostridium botulinum are rod-shaped bacteria (also called C. botulinum). They are anaerobic, meaning they live and grow in low oxygen conditions. The bacteria form protective spores when conditions for survival are poor. The spore has a hard protective coating that encases the key parts of the bacterium and has layers of protective membranes. Within these membranes and the hard coating, the dormant bacterium is able to survive for years. C. botulinum is responsible for a disease called botulism.
C. botulinum spores are often found on the surfaces of fruits and vegetables and in seafood. The organism grows best under low-oxygen conditions and produces spores and toxins. The toxin is most commonly formed when food is improperly processed (canned) at home. C. botulinum cannot grow below a pH of 4.6, so acidic foods, such as most fruits, tomatoes, and pickles, can be safely processed in a water bath canner. However, foods with a higher pH (most vegetables and meats) must be processed under pressure. Therefore, a pressure cooker should be used. The pressure cooker will reach high enough temperatures to destroy the C. botulinum spores.
For example, if a low-acid food, such as green beans, is canned improperly (not canned under pressure or improperly canned using a pressure canner), C. botulinum bacteria and other bacteria present will be destroyed by the boiling of water and food, but the C. botulinum spores will not be destroyed. The canning process will remove the oxygen from the jar, creating a low-oxygen environment that is will allow the spores to grow into active bacteria. When the jars are stored at room temperature, the spores can germinate and produce the toxin. However, the toxin is sensitive to heat and can be destroyed if the food in question is boiled for 10 minutes (longer at high altitudes).
Some people will argue that food at home is safer but in some circumstances the processes that happen in factories is in fact the safest because of quality control and the things that happen while preparing, cooking and then the end result of canning. Often times we have reached for that easy meal of Chef Boyardee and while it isn’t the healthiest thing we can get for a quick meal, it is generally safe to eat either straight from the can or heated.
For more food safety tips please keep an eye on Make Food Safe!