On 9 Nov 2003 at 2:01, Feuer wrote:
> Mike Avery wrote:

> > Safe? If you start with a healthy culture, one which will produce
> > the desired acidity, then there aren't many pathogenic organisms
> > that will be able to survive in the culture.

> Sure they will. Acidic food that are not canned will spoil, though
> not as rapidly as non-acidic foods, and not from C. botulinum. What
> keeps sourdough safe is that the acidity and acetic acid slow the
> growth of harmful organisms enough that when the culture is regularly
> refreshed the harmful organisms will never be able to reach dangerous
> levels. After 3 days, I would not be surprised to see visible mold.

I'd be stunned to see mold in 3 days, if someone started with a healthy
starter. As Samartha pointed out, bread lasts considerably longer than
that without molding. I've left leftover starter in a bowl on the counter
ignored and unloved for over a week with no molding, and the
pancakes we made with the starter were just fine. No one got sick, no
one had digestive upset.

Of course, there are differences dependent upon the conditions of
one's kitchen. I live in a very dry area, and there don't seem to be
many mold spores in the air. If I lived in some high humidity pestilential
hell hole, like Houston (as I have done in the mercifully distant past), I'd
expect to see mold and other parasitic annoying infestations sooner.

> Using a pH meter does not sound like a bad idea, though you'd probably
> stop using it once you got a good feel for the method.

Test strips are accurate enough, and much cheaper.

Mike
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