Feuer wrote:
>
> Mike Avery wrote:
>
> > All of which is to say, if you leave the starter at room temperature
> > without refreshment for about 3 days, you'd probably be pretty close to
> > the same point each time you did this.
>
> 3 days at room temp I think is longer than is really safe. I
> suspect you'd come close to maximum acidity after one day, assuming
> a reasonable innoculation.

I have a graph from Ottogalli's research on panettone cake showing
acidity growing until 36 hours, then the graph ends, but the curve is
not flat at that point. After 24 hours it is still increasing pretty
steep. Some LB's can go down to 3.2 pH and my guess is that it will take
quite some time to get there - surely in the realm of 2 -3 days.

From a Aug. 2002 post:

> The graphs are the
>
> http://samartha.net/SD/images/private/IT/
>
> To keep copyright usage within fair use for educational purpose and my
> butt out of trouble, I have to restrict access. The login and password
> is sd (case sensitive).

Curves from Rohrlich et al, 1959 show increasing acidity up to 72 hours,
then the curves end - also not flat at that point.

It very much depends on the growth medium as well - high mineral
contents (more fully grain) going much longer.

In a later post, you write:

> After 3 days, I would not be surprised to see visible mold.

I don't know what kind of starter experience makes you say that. Even
sourdough bread does not get moldy after 3 days and it's much less
acidic than a starter.

Would you call sourdough bread sitting at room temperature for 3 days as
"not safe"?

Go the

http://samartha.net/SD/MakeStarter01-a.html

under "Starter Poisonous?" there is something about such situations.

If you want to be paranoid, look for something else, not your starter.

Samartha

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