Is there any botulism risk in homemade cold brew coffee?

Cold brew coffee is known to be less acidic and it stays airtight in fridge overnight. It's not heated before consumption.

There are news on the internet about a well known coffee producer recalling its coffee cans for botulism risk. Is there any botulism risk in homemade cold brew coffee?

Also, does covering the can that contains cold brew in fridge (overnight) airtight increase botulism or any alike food poisoning risk? Should I cover it or keep it open to decrease the risks?

Best Answer

There's probably a near zero probability to get botulism from home brewed cold coffee if done properly (clean containers/vessels, clean fridge, cold fridge temperature... )

As long as you keep it cold, it should be ok.

(I've not made a thorough google search)

There at least one report from 2017 of a recall for nitro cold brew; it's pretty much the only report I've seen.

Here's a report of the findings, taken from this reddit thread.

I might have missed it, but it was probably an issue with their processing.

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Can cold brew cause botulism?

As a low acid food with typical pH greater than 4.6 and a water activity greater than 0.852 , packaged cold brew coffee extract can potentially be a host for mold and harmful microorganisms such as Clostridium botulinum without proper processing.

Is cold brew coffee potentially hazardous?

Overall, our survey results indicate that most cold brewed coffees are safe for consumption as most samples appear to have been produced under sanitary conditions. However, contamination by bacterial pathogens can occur occasionally, and a loss of sanitation controls along the food production chain can occur as well.

Is cold brew coffee pasteurized?

Cold-brew coffee has more risk than hot-brew coffee due to several process factors. (1) The cold-brew coffee is not heat pasteurized (is not made with hot-water), so any microbes encountered following the roasting step are not controlled.

Can cold brew coffee sit out?

Its flavor will last longer and if kept in the fridge below 40 \xb0F (4.4 \xb0C), cold brew concentrate can be used within 2 weeks post brewing. If you leave it to sit out at room temperature, I'd recommend throwing it away after a maximum of 2 to 3 days.

Death Wish Coffee Cold Brew - The TRUTH About Botulism Recall

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