SKDS - In addition to ensuring food hygiene and safety conditions, properly preserving pre-packaged canned foods is also an important step in preventing food poisoning, especially botulinum poisoning.

1. What is botulinum poisoning?

Botulinum poisoning, also known as Botulism, is a rare but serious disease caused by a toxin that attacks the body's nerves. Botulism is caused by a type of bacteria called Clostridium botulinum. This type of bacteria exists in food that is not properly preserved and produces toxins that cause poisoning in humans when they eat this type of food.

Botulinum toxin poisoning is  a serious poisoning , with a high risk of death or long-term effects on health. Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen - Director of the Poison Control Center, Bach Mai Hospital said that botulinum toxin is extremely toxic. This toxin can cause death with less than 0.1mg, and can be considered one of the most toxic substances today.

According to the Food Safety Department (Ministry of Health), botulinum toxin is produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum in an anaerobic environment (an environment lacking air). Foods made from vegetables, tubers, fruits, meat, and canned seafood that do not meet food safety conditions are at risk of being contaminated with Clostridium botulinum bacteria and producing botulinum toxin.

2. Store canned food properly to prevent botulinum poisoning

Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen said: C. botulinum bacteria has anaerobic characteristics (only grows in an environment lacking air), cannot grow in acidic (pH <4.6), salty (salt concentration >5%) environments.

Thus, processed foods containing some bacterial spores (unclean production process), after production, foods are packaged tightly in bottles, jars, boxes, cans, bags without enough acidity and saltiness as above, which will create conditions for bacteria to grow and secrete botulinum toxin.

Therefore, to prevent botulinum poisoning, the first thing to pay attention to is to prioritize eating freshly processed and cooked foods. Cooking food will destroy the spores of C. botulinum bacteria and other poisoning bacteria if they are unfortunately present in the food.

Botulinum poisoning cases show that all types of food from vegetables, tubers, fruits, meat, seafood, etc. when produced are contaminated with bacterial spores, and sealed packaging does not ensure adequate conditions will cause bacteria to grow, especially for foods produced by hand, at home, handmade goods, small businesses, and are not strictly controlled in terms of quality. Therefore, it is best not to self-package foods in different ways (boxes, bottles, jars, vacuum bags, etc.) and to leave them for a long time in non-frozen conditions (freezing temperatures stop bacteria from growing).

The best way to prevent food poisoning is to carefully follow safe home canning instructions. You can protect yourself, your family, and others by following these tips.

-  Use sterilized canning tools:

In addition to choosing and processing food to ensure safety, if you want to can food to preserve it, you should sterilize all food containers such as bottles, jars, boxes, pots, etc.

-  Use the right equipment for the type of food you need to can:

Low-acid foods are the most common source of home-canning-related poisoning. These foods have a pH greater than 4.6. Low-acid foods include most vegetables (including asparagus, green beans, beets, corn, and potatoes), some fruits (including tomatoes and figs), milk, all meats, fish, and other seafood.

Do not use thermal canning for low-acid foods as it will not protect against food poisoning bacteria. Pressure canning is the only recommended method for canning low-acid foods. However, this method requires machinery and technology and is not easy to do at home.

- Maintain at the correct temperature:

Canned foods are safe to store at temperatures below 30°C, preferably between 10 and 21°C. Canned foods should be stored in a cool, dry place, away from sunlight and heat. There is no need to store them at extremely low temperatures such as the freezer compartment of a refrigerator. Do not store them in places exposed to excessive humidity such as on the stove or under the sink.

- Keep food cold after opening:

With canned or pre-processed pickled foods on the market, immediately after opening the can, you should store the food in the refrigerator and use it within 2-3 days.

- When canned food shows signs of abnormality, throw it away immediately:

If you have any doubts about whether the canning instructions have been followed, throw it away immediately and do not eat the product. According to the recommendations of the Food Safety Department, to prevent botulism poisoning, when eating fermented foods such as pickles, bamboo shoots, pickled eggplants, etc., the food must be sour and salty. When the food is no longer sour, it should not be eaten.

Canned and store-bought foods can be  contaminated with toxins  or harmful bacteria if:

• Container leaks, swells, or is damaged, cracked, or has foam or an unusual odor when opened.
• Food is discolored, moldy, or has an unpleasant odor.

People using canned products who experience symptoms of poisoning should immediately go to the nearest medical facility for timely examination and treatment.