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Honored Contributor
Posts: 8,443
Registered: ‎03-14-2010

Doesn't cooking kill bacteria?

I was reading an article about a lady who baked a cake for her sisters and their families. The cake was poisoned.

Two sisters died and a niece died.

Rio Grande do Sul Civil Police are analyzing traces of the toxic metal arsenic that were found in the victims' blood.

It also stated "investigators are also looking into the possibility that bacteria-laden raisins and other spoiled foods used as a cake topping after a power-cut could be linked to the fatal poisonings."

The raisins were in the cake batter. So wouldn't cooking the batter kill the bacteria on the raisins? The icing was all white and smooth so the raisins were not used in the icing.

I am sure that the police have to cover all angles of this sick woman's crime. But maybe I am putting too much faith into cooking killing bacteria.

We make an applesauce cake once in awhile. I never thought about the raisins having bacteria. We open the container of raisins and you always have raisins left over. So the raisins just sit until the next time we make another applesauce cake. Never thought of them having bacteria growing on them.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 14,788
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Doesn't cooking kill bacteria?

[ Edited ]

I think it depends on the bacteria.  Some will die off but it also depends on the temperature and the length of time.

 

That s a crazy story!

Honored Contributor
Posts: 74,500
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Doesn't cooking kill bacteria?

@drizzellla.  There a big difference between bacteria which is an organism and a poison like arsenic which is an element found in minerals so isn't alive and can't be killed.

New Mexico☀️Land Of Enchantment
Honored Contributor
Posts: 38,221
Registered: ‎05-22-2016

Re: Doesn't cooking kill bacteria?

[ Edited ]

Cooking does kill most bacteria but some survive and if the food is left out at room temp then the bacteria can grow back in numbers high enough to do harm. Besides that, bacteria from other sources can be introduced into food after cooking and that can also be a problem.

 

Cooking will not deactivate toxins produced by bacteria in food. Toxins, for instance botulism toxin and staph toxin, can't be destroyed by heat from cooking.

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,182
Registered: ‎10-04-2015

Re: Doesn't cooking kill bacteria?

Three sisters die after mass food poisoning at family gathering | News  World | Metro NewsThe Christmas cake, pictured, eaten by the three women before they died.

 

 

 

What is in a Christmas Cake? 

 

A Christmas cake is a rich cake traditionally served without any decoration or just garnished with candied fruits.

 

 

It is often mistaken for the Portuguese King Cake, a yeast sweet cake. 

 

The Brazilian recipe uses cane sugar and has icing over the top with the candied fruits. 

 

The ingredients for this cake are butter, eggs, brown sugar, orange juice or milk, range zest, Port wine, flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, black raisins and exotic candied fruit cut into small cubes.

 

Source: saborbrasil.it 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 38,221
Registered: ‎05-22-2016

Re: Doesn't cooking kill bacteria?

Could have been the frosting, too. That doesn't get baked.

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,182
Registered: ‎10-04-2015

Re: Doesn't cooking kill bacteria?

People.com: 3 Family Members Die After Eating Homemade Christmas Cake — Sparking New Investigation into Death of the Baker’s Husband

The husband of the woman who prepared the cake died from food poisoning months earlier.

 

According to local news outlet, Brazil's Civil Police are running tests to confirm the cause of death for the three women.

 

The outlet reported that initial laboratory tests found arsenic was present in their bodies.

 

The discovery has now prompted police to reopen an investigation into the death of Zeli’s late husband, Paolo Luiz.

 

His death from food poisoning in September wasn’t investigated because it was considered natural.

 

"As we became aware of this fact today, we opened a police investigation and we are going to exhume this man's body to check whether there was also poisoning," Detective Marcos Vinícius Velho, who is leading the investigation, told the outlet..

Honored Contributor
Posts: 15,827
Registered: ‎03-11-2010

Re: Doesn't cooking kill bacteria?

[ Edited ]

AI online says this about raisins. 

Why Raisins Aren't a Primary Concern for Bacterial Contamination:
Raisins are dried fruits, and the drying process significantly reduces the water activity (aw), making them less hospitable to bacterial growth.
Raisins contain natural compounds with antimicrobial properties, such as oleanolic acid and linoleic acid, which inhibit bacterial growth.
Studies have shown that raisins do not typically contain harmful bacteria like E. coli or Salmonella.

I wonder if she might have used some of the recalled eggs? Something in the flour?

Honored Contributor
Posts: 13,683
Registered: ‎03-19-2010

Re: Doesn't cooking kill bacteria?

@NightowlzCooking the flour would kill anything in it.  That's the method given for making edible cookie dough.  You heat the flour in the oven for a bit, not anywhere near what it would take to bake a cake. 

 

 

I looked up about cooking killing bacteria recently.  I have a thing about veggies cooking in the "juices" of meat whether it be chicken or beef.  Blech! Yet, there are many recipes that do just that, so I wanted to know if it was really safe.  Apparently, it is, but I'll still cook my veggies separately.  My mother used to put a roast in the oven before we left for Church on Sundays, but she cooked the veggies in foil in the oven with the roast.  That's the way I like my veggies, not swimming in liquid.  I wouldn't say it's because my mother did it that way.  There were several things she cooked I didn't like at all, like pork chops. I never knew I liked them until I experienced them away from home.  And her hamburgers looked like sausge patties by the time she got done with them.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 15,827
Registered: ‎03-11-2010

Re: Doesn't cooking kill bacteria?

@Icegoddess 

 

Seems like I learn something new most times I see what's going on here?

I've always thought as long as you cook it long enough it will be fine. I keep telling DH if it's not cooked to temp I'm not eating it.

Making pot roast tomorrow. We have some colder weather moving in with even colder temps end of week into next week. We haven't really had a winter yet. 

I start the pot roast in dutch oven on the stove. I finish it in the oven. I put the veggies in couple hours before the roast is tender. DH doesn't want mushy potatoes or carrots. I do the same when I make beef soup or stew.

My dad made really good hamburgers on the grill.

We make pork chops quite a bit. I like them with olive oil, salt, pepper & thyme, bbq or Penzey's Bavarian seasoning.