Fermenting Peppers in brine with 1 table spoon salt to 0.9 L Jar, too low salt? Botulism risk?
I have fermented some peppers, but after doing so, I started to doubt the ratio of salt might be too low; I used 1 table spoon of salt, for a jar of 0.9 L; does this create a safe environment against botulism?
It has been about a week, and there some big bubbles floating to the top
Best Answer
A brine like that will not by itself prevent bacteria such as clostridium botulinum from growing. But that’s not a problem. For lacto-fermented vegetables, it is rather the acidity which makes a hostile environment. Lactic fermentation is quite dependable and safe; if things go wrong, they will go obviously wrong (rotten smell, colorful mold everywhere), not silent-and-deadly wrong.
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Can botulism grow in salt brine?
botulinum doesn't like. Adding salt to a ferment also reduces C. botulinum's ability to grow, and encourages beneficial bacteria to take over.Can botulism survive brine?
Although lacto-fermentation requires an anaerobic environment, botulism is not a risk. In a lacto-ferment, beneficial bacteria grow and create lactic acid, which is not a friendly environment for Clostridium botulinum and neither is a salty (brine) environment.How much salt to ferment peppers?
Salt to Water Ratio for Fermenting Peppers As a rule of thumb, use one to three tablespoons of salt per quart of water. Ideally, the brine should have a 3-5% salt concentration, though some prefer using brine with up to 10% salt content.Does refrigeration prevent botulism?
Refrigeration temperatures combined with salt content and/or acidic conditions will prevent the growth of the bacteria and formation of toxin.The Guide to Lacto-Fermentation: How To Ferment Nearly Anything
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Answer 2
The standard is 6 - 10 percent salt to water. As a general rule of thumb 8 percent for veggies is my goto ratio. This means 80 grams of salt per liter of water. You can add 50 ml of vinegar if you desire but it is optional. A very important point to note is that different brands of salt vary greatly in volume, so you must weigh the salt. Also do use fine salt, it is just more suitable for brines.
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