Forums  •  Classifieds  •  Events  •  Directory

 
Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12

Honey and botulism - help please

  1. #9
    AndreaY is offline Registered User
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Hong kong
    Posts
    249

    As for bread, most breads would not contain soy, honey or egg, definitely most plain square loaves. For egg, you should also avoid any bread that has a shiny crust, this is usually cos it has egg glaze on it.

    It may be painstaking, but you may want to make your own so you know what's in it. Bread freezes well, so if you make a batch, you can always defrost when you need to and reheat it.


  2. #10
    ladybug is offline Registered User
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Hong Kong
    Posts
    25
    Quote Originally Posted by AndreaY View Post
    Sorry, but don't think pasteurization heats to higher temperatures, it is only sterilisation that does that. If the bread is made with the honey as bread ingredient, it'd have been baked to 180C or higher (at least for all the breads I know). This is higher than pasterization. Also processed food as mentioned in the quoted article is not the same as baking. Obviously if the bread is just coated with honey afterwards, it's a different matter altogether.

    Anyway, if you are unsure or worried, you should not feed it to your baby, no harm in waiting a few more months.
    Yes, you are right I stand corrected on the temperature of pasteurisation being lower than baking. But like the website states, "Botulism may be prevented by inactivation of the bacterial spores in heat-sterilized, canned products or by inhibiting growth in all other products. Commercial heat pasteurization may not be sufficient to kill all spores and therefore safety of these products must be based on preventing growth and toxin production." The risk of honey bread is during the proofing of bread dough when the botulism spores can multiply before it is killed off by the bake off. The baking won't guarantee (although it is likely) that all the bacteria will be killed. If pasteurised honey is used in the initial process, there isn't anything to worry about but it may be difficult to find the labels that will state what kind of honey is used. And yes, glazing the bread with honey is a whole different matter altogether. It is best just to wait a few months.

    "According to the CDC, infants with botulism 'appear lethargic, feed poorly, are constipated, and have a weak cry and poor muscle tone,' which may 'progress to cause paralysis of the arms, legs, trunk and respiratory muscles.'
    Although parents often know not to give their infants under twelve months of age plain honey, they often overlook other foods that contain honey in them, such as Honey Graham Crackers, Honey Nut Cheerios, Honey Wheat Bread, etc. Although the honey in these foods may be processed, it may not be pasteurized, and so may still contain botulism spores in them and should be avoided. If you feel strongly about giving these foods to your infant, call the manufacturer to make sure that they are safe."

Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Scroll to top