FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCE

RICHLAND COUNTY

Subject Index

Canning

Eggs

Mad Cow Disease

Olive Oil

Osteoporosis

Salt Reduction

Turkey

Lab to Kitchen - Questions We Get

I received a deep fryer for turkeys. How should I handle the oil? How many times can I use the oil?

The life of oil in a fryer depends on many things including the temperature of the oil, the length of time the oil was used and the amount of food particles remaining in the oil. The  National Turkey Federation recommends that the oil used to fry turkeys be cooled and then strained through cheesecloth to remove food particles. To help prevent rancidity, the oil should be sealed in a container with a lid and refrigerated. It may thicken during storage, but it will regain its original consistency with heating. Some sources say the oil can last up to six months, but that depends on the number of times it is used. With proper handling, the oil can usually be used to cook four (or even more) turkeys.

Source: www.turkeyfed.org

Is Salmonella found on the inside or outside of eggs? Is it safe to use egg cartons for kids' craft projects? How are eggs regulated?

Salmonella enteriditis, the type of bacteria of most concerns in eggs, is found inside some eggs and could, through cross contamination, cracking, or inadequately washing at the processor, be found on the outside. About one egg in 20,000 is contaminated. While it is mandatory for commercial eggs to be washed and sanitized, this process doesn't guarantee that eggshells are "bacteria-free".

According to the Egg Board, it is safest not to re-use cartons, particularly if the carton has held a broken egg or if there are any visible signs of contamination in the carton. Infants and children are more susceptible to salmonellosis than many other age groups. But use your common sense, too. While outbreaks have been linked to eggs, they haven't necessarily been linked to cartons.

FDA rules finalized in November 2000 will require that eggs be placed promptly under refrigeration at 45 degrees F or lower upon delivery at retail establishments (supermarkets, restaurants, delis, caterers, vending operations, hospitals nursing homes and schools). Refrigeration temperatures slow the growth and development of Salmonella enteriditis. USDA recommends that cooked egg-containing dishes reach 160 degrees F. In a few months, egg cartons will carry safe handling instructions as follows: "To prevent illness from bacteria: keep eggs refrigerated, cook eggs until yolks are firm, and cook foods containing eggs thoroughly." In recipes calling for raw eggs, pasteurized in-shell, dried and mixed eggs are available.

Source: FDA, November 2000.     http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/hhseggs2.html

With all the news about Mad Cow Disease, should consumers be concerned about eating beef?

Media reports about the human form of "mad-cow disease", new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (nvCJD), in Europe may cause fear among consumers in the US. The risk of acquiring nvCJD from eating beef in the US, however, is extremely low due to the safeguards that are in place.

More than 99 percent of nvCJD cases from 1986 to 2000 have been linked to the United Kingdom. Despite these statistics, even in the United Kingdom, the risk is considered very low, at perhaps one case per billion servings of beef. Control measures put in place have reduced the incidence of new cases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), travelers to Europe can further reduce their risk of contracting the disease by choosing solid pieces of beef (e.g. roasts, steaks) instead of ground meat (e.g. hamburgers, sausage), which would reduce the chances of consuming a product possibly contaminated with BSE. Another option for European travelers is to avoid beef altogether.

Of greater concern to US consumers are food safety issues associated with bacterial contamination of food and unsafe food handling practices. Campylobacter, Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 are among the leading bacterial causes of food-borne illness outbreaks. According to 1999 CDC statistics, about 76 million Americans became ill due to contaminated food, 325,000 were hospitalized and 5,000 died. Simple measures like washing hands and surfaces carefully, avoiding cross contamination, cooking food thoroughly and chilling foods promptly can reduce the risk of food borne illness. Ground beef, for example, should be stored/thawed in the refrigerator and cooked to an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees F as measured by a food thermometer.

For further information, visit these websites.

Food and Drug Administration: http://www.fda.gov/cvm/index/bse/bsetoc.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) http://www.cdc.gov

Are men at risk of osteoporosis?

According to the Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter (September 2001), men have a greater chance of a fracture due to osteoporosis than of being diagnosed with prostate cancer. Further, about 20 percent of men will fracture a hip by age 90; of those, about one-third will die of complications. Some warning signs of osteoporosis include sudden back pain, posture changes, and a loss of height. Doctors, unfortunately, don't always consider the possibility of osteoporosis among men. There are many drug, supplement and dietary/lifestyle changes that can be used to treat or prevent osteoporosis.

I'm canning pickles...what's the difference between pickling salt, rock salt and table salt?

Pickling salt contains no additives (to avoid clouding the brine) and is finer so it dissolves faster. Rock salt is not as pure, but it's useful when making ice cream and to melt snow on your driveway. Table salt is highly refined and contains additives to keep it free-flowing; it commonly has sodium iodide added to help meet the recommendation for iodine.

If olive oil, which is expensive, is supposed to help lower your cholesterol, could you eat olives and get the same benefit?

Interesting logic, but it would not work. It is not the "addition" of olive oil to the regular diet that helps lower cholesterol but rather replacement of the typical more saturated fats in the diet like butter and mixed vegetable oils, by olive oil or other monounsaturated fat. One would have to eat quite a few olives to equal the amount of fat in 1 Tbsp. of olive oil. Additionally, olives would be very high in sodium (10 large green olives can have up to 1000mg of sodium--and 2400 mg is the recommended daily limit). To lessen the expense, recommend pure canola oil. And of course, recommend using less fat over all and other heat-healthy diet changes like 5-a-day, too. For more background on the role of olive oil in a healthy diet visit: http://www.oldwayspt.org/html/p_med6.htm

Other than high blood pressure, why would we want to reduce salt in our diet?

There is some controversy about whether reducing salt/sodium is necessary for everyone, as some research has shown that it makes no difference in people with normal blood pressure; however, risk of hypertension increases with age and most evidence suggests that many people at risk for high blood pressure reduce their chances of developing this condition by consuming less salt or sodium. There is no way to really tell who might develop high blood pressure from eating too much sodium. A high salt intake has also been linked to loss of calcium and bone deterioration, stroke, enlargement of the heart, kidney stones and asthma, although the research evidence is not conclusive. Basically, most Americans do eat way too much salt/sodium--much more than required by the body--and consuming less is not harmful. Cutting back now and beginning to adjust the taste buds (the taste for salt is learned) may be very helpful when people are faced with healthy reasons that require a reduction.