Safe Homemade Flavored and Infused Oils

oils and herbsDeveloped by Jason Bolton, Assistant Extension Professor and Food
Safety Specialist, University of Maine Cooperative Extension
Reviewed by Alfred A. Bushway, Professor Emeritus Food Science and Human Nutrition,
University of Maine

For information about UMaine Extension programs and resources, visit

extension.umaine.edu.
Find more of our publications and books at extensionpubs.umext.maine.edu.

Flavored or infused oils can add excitement and new tastes to your meals. They can
be used in salads, marinades, sauces, and dips. But, like many other low-acid
homemade foods, infused oils can pose food safety risks.

The primary concern with infused oils is the extremely dangerous and sometimes
deadly microorganism, Clostridium botulinum (C. bot), which can cause botulism. The
fresh vegetables, herbs, and/or fruits used to flavor or infuse oils can be
contaminated with C. bot spores. Fresh produce also contains water, which allows
bacteria such as C. bot to live and grow. C. bot thrives in an oxygen-free
environment like oil. This is why flavored and infused oils must be made and stored
correctly to prevent botulism poisoning.

When infused or flavored oils are manufactured commercially, the fresh, low-acid
ingredients are acidified to prevent bacterial growth. This is particularly
important when oil contains garlic. Commercial infused or flavored oils that have
been acidified using an approved process can be stored at room temperature.

We do not advise home cooks to try to acidify foods. Acidification of food products
should be supervised by a food processing authority. The safest way for home cooks
to prepare flavored or infused oils is to use properly dried herbs, garlic, or
vegetables. Since dried ingredients have no water, C. bot bacteria will not grow.

Note: The following instructions are NOT meant for retail products, ONLY home use.

Preparing Flavored and Infused Oils at Home

Start by washing, sanitizing, and thoroughly drying the container and lid of your
choice. A glass container with a tight-fitting lid is best. Sanitize them in
boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water, cool, and air-dry.

1. Best Home Method: Flavored or Infused Oils from Dried Spices

Using dried garlic and/or herbs is the safest way to make infused oils without
acidifying the product. Fresh herbs introduce water into the oil, and dangerous
bacteria need water to grow. Dried herbs and garlic add no water to the oil, so
bacteria can�t grow.

Select a good-quality olive or other vegetable oil. Add your flavor additives to a
clean container. Heat the oil to 180�F in a pot. Pour the oil over the dried
additives, cap your container, and cool.

Storage
Store oil containing dry garlic, vegetables, and/or herbs in a cool, dark place.
This helps keep the fat from going rancid. Rancid vegetable oil does not look or
smell any different. However it has been linked to cancer and early aging. Do not
store for more than three months. After three months, throw away any unused oil.

2. Flavored and Infused Oils from fresh, acidified ingredients

Oils infused or flavored with fresh garlic, vegetables, or herbs should be
acidified using an approved process. Acidified food for resale needs to be tested
by the Food Processing Authority for Maine to ensure that the pH is low enough to
keep C. bot. from growing. For more information on making acidified oil for resale,
see University of Maine Cooperative Extension bulletin #3101, Recipe to Market: How
to Start a Specialty Food Business in Maine.

Please remember that the safest way to make flavored oils at home is with dried
ingredients (method 1 above). If you decide to flavor oil with fresh garlic,
vegetables, or herbs, use a pH meter. Begin by selecting a good quality olive or
other vegetable oil. Thoroughly wash and dry the fresh flavoring ingredients.
Garlic should be finely chopped or crushed. Add the cleaned ingredients to a clean
container.

Choose a vinegar with four to five percent acidity. In a pot, heat vinegar to near
boiling (190�F). Pour the hot vinegar over the infusion ingredients, cover, and
cool. Once the mixture has reached room temperature, add your oil and replace the
cover.

You need enough vinegar so that the finished product has a pH of 4.6 or lower. This
will keep C. bot from growing. Test the pH with a pH meter for food safety.

Storage
Although we do not advise making oil infusions with fresh additives at home,
refrigerating this kind of oil infusion immediately after preparation will reduce
your risk. Refrigeration will slow bacteria growth. Refrigeration will also slow
the process by which oils go rancid. After one month, the number of bacteria in the
product can become a food-safety hazard and it should be thrown away.

Acidified garlic, vegetables, and/or herbs in oil should be refrigerated. Do not

store for more than one month. After one month, throw away any unused oil.

Botulism: What You Don't See or Smell Can Still Hurt You
Written by Barbara Rohrs
Revised by Lydia Medeiros and Jeffery LeJeune
Botulism is the name of the food poisoning we get by consuming the toxin of
bacteria Clostridium botulinium. Botulism is a rare but serious foodborne disease
that can be fatal. There are two different types of botulism poisoning associated
with foods�adult and infant botulism.

Where does botulism come from?

The bacteria, Clostridium botulinum, grow anaerobically, meaning they grow in the
absence of air�in places like home-canned products and in the intestines of animals
and humans. The bacteria produce spores that are very resistant to heat and
chemicals, and under the right environmental conditions, can transform into an
active bacteria. The spores can be found in soil all over the world and can
contaminate vegetables in the field and other natural foods such as syrup and
honey. The toxin that Clostridium botulinum produces is among the most deadly food
toxin known. Fortunately, heat destroys the toxin and cooking is the best way to
control botulism.

Symptoms of illness
The symptoms of botulism depend upon the age of the person exposed. In adults this
may include difficulty in swallowing, speech, and breathing, and double vision. The
onset of botulism is usually 18 to 36 hours after eating the contaminated food,
although it can be as soon as four hours and as long as eight days. In infants,
signs of botulism include constipation, muscle weakness, and loss of head control,
also called "the floppy baby."

Public health consequences

The exact number of botulism cases that occur each year is hard to determine
because the local Health Department and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) cannot record the number of cases accurately unless the ill person seeks
medical care, which is unusual in mild cases. The CDC has calculated an estimate of
the number of cases of botulism based on corrections for underreporting or
misdiagnosis. The CDC estimates that there are 55 cases of botulism each year in
this country, and that 100% of the cases are caused by eating food contaminated
with the toxin produced by the bacteria. About 42 cases will be severe enough to
require hospitalization; 9 deaths are possible each year.

Susceptible groups
Anyone can become ill by eating food that has been improperly stored. Some will
have more severe symptoms depending on the dose of toxin that they consume. Infants
are particularly at risk.

How can botulism be prevented?

There are very few cases of botulism each year. The death rate is high if not
treated immediately. Prevention is extremely important. Botulism spores can produce
the toxin if mistakes are made in home canning food. Home canning should follow
strict instructions and hygienic recommendations to reduce risks. Pressure canners
should be used for all foods that are naturally low in acid. The botulism spores
can only be killed by the high heat that can be obtained in a pressure canner. In
addition, home-canned foods should be boiled for 20 minutes before tasting or
eating.

Are home-canned foods the only concern?

Infant botulism is a concern for children under one year of age. It is possible for
bees to pick up the botulism spores from flowers or soil. These spores are not
destroyed during the processing for honey. The botulism spores grow in the baby's
intestinal tract and then produce the toxin. This is less likely to occur after the
age of one year when the baby's digestive tract matures.

Flavored oils also can be a concern if not prepared correctly. When herbs, garlic,
or tomatoes are placed in oils, the botulism spores on the plant material can start
to produce the toxin in this anaerobic mixture. To be safe, keep these flavored
oils refrigerated and make only the amount of herbal oils and butters that will be
used in a few days. Using dried herbs and vegetables will also reduce the risk.

Baked potatoes wrapped in foil and kept at room temperature occasionally form the
anaerobic conditions the botulism spores need to produce their toxin. For this
reason, leftover potatoes should be refrigerated. Potato salad made from leftover
baked potatoes that have been improperly refrigerated has been implicated in
botulism poisoning.

How can I control the pathogen in my home?

Boil all home-canned, low-acid foods 20 minutes before eating. Low-acid foods are
most vegetables, some tomatoes, and meat or poultry.
Discard all raw or canned food that shows any sign of being spoiled.
Discard all bulging or swollen cans of food and food from glass jars with bulging
lids.
DO NOT TASTE food from swollen containers or food that is foamy or has a bad odor.
Process low-acid foods at temperatures above boiling (which can only occur using a
pressure canner) and for the recommended time for the size of can or jar you are
using.
Can low-acid foods in a pressure canner. Do not can low-acid foods in the oven, in
a water-bath canner, open kettle, or vegetable cooker.
If you suspect that home-canned food has spoiled, heat the food to boiling to
destroy possible toxin, then discard the food. Do not eat this food. Clean all
surfaces with chlorine/water solution (one tablespoon of bleach per gallon of
water) that leaky containers may have contaminated. Then boil any sponges or cloths
used for clean-up to destroy the toxin. Then, discard the sponges or clean-up
cloths.
Do not give honey or foods with honey to infants under one year of age.
There are a number of organisms that can make people sick. It is not possible to
determine which pathogen is causing the problem based on symptoms alone.
Individuals suffering from serious illness should seek appropriate medical advice.

References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Botulism. cdc.gov/botulism/. Accessed:
August 22, 2011.
Scallan, E., Hoekstra, R.M., Angulo, F.J., Tauxe, R.V., Widdowson, M.A., Roy, S.L.,
Jones, J.L., & Griffin, P.M. Foodborne illness acquired in the United States�major
pathogens. Emerging Infectious Diseases 2011; 17:7�15.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Clostridium botulinum. The Bad Bug Book.
www.fda.gov/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/CausesOfIllnessBadBugBook/ucm296005.h
tm. Accessed: August 22, 2011.

For more information about food safety, visit Foodsafety.osu.edu.

It is now a relatively common practice to bottle vegetables and herbs and spices in
either oil, vinegar or a mixture of both. This is done both commercially and
domestically and, if there is no further treatment, products should be refrigerated
at or below 5 �C. Always choose foods that are ripe but still firm and in good
condition with no evidence of mould or insect damage.

Preserving vegetables in herbs and oil

Products which can be treated in this way include:

chopped and whole garlic

sun-dried tomatoes
capsicums and chillis
ginger
egg plant
mushrooms
various herbs
various mixtures of these and similar materials.
While these products are safe for a limited time if refrigerated, they represent a
potential food poisoning hazard unless certain basic precautions are taken in their
preservation.

This fact was unfortunately highlighted in Canada and the United States in the
1980s when two serious outbreaks of botulism occurred in which chopped garlic in
oil was clearly identified as the source of botulism toxin. Capsicums, pesto sauce
and chillies have also caused botulism. Botulism is a rare disease, particularly in
this country, but because of its severe, debilitating symptoms and relatively high
mortality rate remains a major hazard in preserves produced by commercial
businesses and in the home.

Authorities in Canada and the United States reacted to the above incidents by
preventing the sale of garlic-in-oil products in which refrigeration was the only
barrier to the growth of the bacterium, Clostridium botulinum, the organism which
causes botulism. These products are now required to contain an additional barrier
to C. botulinum such as acidification.

Precautions in Australia
In Australia and New Zealand, commercially produced products, including fruit and
vegetables in brine, oil, vinegar or water, must not have a pH greater than 4.6.
The pH of a product is a measure of its acidity. Foods with a pH below 4.6 do not
in general support the growth of food poisoning bacteria, including C. botulinum.
The necessary pH adjustment for these products can be achieved only by adding acid
to the vegetable material. Vinegar, which is a solution of acetic acid, is the
usual choice. Citric acid and lemon juice are other possible acidifying agents.

False assumptions about preserving

Attempts to preserve these products without acidification seem to be based on two
false assumptions. The first of these is that the addition of oil has a
preservative effect. This is incorrect. The only function of the oil is to prevent
oxidation from the air in the container which can lead to discolouration of some
foods. By excluding air from the surface of the vegetable, it establishes anaerobic
conditions which actually favour the growth of some types of bacteria.
Unfortunately, C. botulinum is one of these bacteria.

The other incorrect assumption which is often made is that some herbs and spices,
and especially garlic, have significant anti-microbial properties. The preservative
effect of these materials including garlic is slight and inconsistent as the
botulism incidents in Canada and the United States prove.

It is therefore essential that sufficient acid is added to the vegetable before oil
is poured on and time is allowed (say overnight) for the pH of the vegetable to
equilibrate to below pH 4.6 so that any C. botulinum or other potentially dangerous
bacteria cannot grow. Vinegar prepared for domestic use contains 4 per cent acetic
acid. Vinegar should be added to the vegetable component of these preserves before
any oil is added so that the ratio of vegetable to vinegar by weight is not greater
than three to one. For example, to make 400 grams of preserved garlic, one would
mix 300 grams of garlic with 100 grams of vinegar. The resulting mixture will then
contain approximately one per cent acetic acid which would ensure a final pH below
4.6. This will not guarantee that the products will not spoil if not kept properly
refrigerated, but it will ensure they do not become toxic.

Vegetables, herbs and oil storage

If vegetable products such as tomatoes are dried prior to being stored in oil, a
different set of circumstances applies. Correctly dried vegetables and herbs will
not support the growth of food poisoning bacteria but they may still support the
growth of spoilage organisms such as yeasts and moulds. Moulds will usually only be
a problem on exposed surfaces but yeasts bring about fermentation in the absence of
air.

Vegetables and herbs to be packed in oil without treatment with vinegar should be
dried almost to crispness. Tomatoes, including sun-dried tomatoes, are a special
case. The pH of fresh tomatoes is normally just below 4.6. When the tomatoes are
dried, the natural acid components are concentrated and the pH is reduced. It will
often be close to 4.0 in the dry product and therefore the risk of food poisoning
is eliminated.

No such safeguard exists with other vegetables, however, and these must be either
acidified or properly dried before being covered with oil. This includes small
quantities of garlic or herbs which may be added to other preserved vegetables as
flavourings.

Pickles
The manufacture of fruit and vegetable products such as pickles, relishes and
chutneys by adding vinegar is an old art and quite safe if correct procedures are
followed. These products should be given a short heat process after bottling to
prevent spoilage during storage. Foods commonly pickled include:
cucumber and gherkins
tomatoes
onions
garlic
capsicums and chillies
cauliflower
asparagus
beetroot
pears
peaches
figs.
The ingredients usually include salt, vinegar (acetic acid), sugar, spices and
water. The food should be cleaned, peeled and diced or sliced if necessary then
immersed in a brine solution containing vinegar. Be wary of using American or UK
recipes for pickling as in those countries vinegar contains 5 per cent acetic acid
whereas in Australia our vinegar is 4 per cent acetic acid. To correct for this you
should multiply the recipe vinegar amount by 1.25. For example if an American
recipe calls for 60 mL vinegar, multiplying this by 1.25 gives you 75 mL for
Australian vinegar. Using the American recipe straight probably won�t make you ill,
but the product may spoil.

Never add or increase the water content of the recipe as this will dilute the acid
and you may not reach a safe pH.

Discolouration of bottled garlic in vinegar

Users of bottled garlic in vinegar are occasionally alarmed to find that the
product has turned green or blue-green. These colour changes do not make the
product unsafe but are obviously undesirable.

The problem of garlic changing colour is associated with the addition of acid which
changes the normal pH of the product. This is precisely what is required to ensure
that the garlic remains safe but the change in acidity brings about chemical
changes in pigments in the garlic.

All plant materials contain various pigments some of which change colour as the pH
of the plant tissue is changed by the addition of vinegar or other acids. The most
common of these pigments are the anthocyanins which may be blue, colourless or red
depending on the pH. You might have noticed that red cabbage becomes redder when
you add an acidic dressing.

These pigments may be involved in some colour changes observed in preserved garlic
but American scientists have identified another more general explanation.

Certain amino acids, natural components of foods, are responsible for many of the
pigment characteristics of the onion family which includes garlic. The American
scientists have shown that the outstanding difference in composition between garlic
which turns green and garlic which does not is the presence of much higher levels
of one particular amino acid in the green garlic.

It is not possible to tell by looking at untreated garlic whether it is likely to

become green on crushing and acidification. However the work reported indicates
that if garlic bulbs are stored for four weeks at a temperature above 23�C prior to
processing, the production of the green pigment is prevented.

This may not be practical at the domestic level, but could be a valuable precaution
for commercial producers.