Just a note...Any Non-cured Vac-Pac, Sous Vide or Modified Atmosphere Packaging like with CO2, is suseptible to Clostridium Botulinum growth above 37°F and stored more than 10 day. So, while these methods of packaging are useful to extend shelf life, there are time limits and watch the storage temp...JJ
I find your post confusing. Are you saying that if I
didn't add CO2 that it would
decrease the likelihood of botulism? You make it sound like the presence of high CO2 levels will increase the danger.
Or, are you merely restating what we already know about botulism, namely that it is a problem with anaerobic (no oxygen) storage at temperatures above normal refrigerator temps?
I don't think I ever read anything about CO2 being something that would add to the hazard of creating botulism. A quick Google search turned up this paper:
The effect of 100% CO2 on the growth of nonproteolytic Clostridium botulinum at chill temperatures.
From the executive summary:
"Of the atmospheres tested, growth occurred at a slower rate and over a narrower range of conditions when C. botulinum was exposed to 100% CO2."
I didn't do any research beyond that, but it does seem to suggest that not only is CO2 not going to promote botulism growth, any more than any other non-oxygen environment, but that it might actually be somewhat beneficial. From that paper, it obviously is not going to completely inhibit the growth, so the danger is still there, but no more so than, say, a container that had simply been subjected to a vacuum pump.
Bottom line, of course, is to make sure to only do canning intended for room-temperature storage on perfectly sterilized containers; make sure to understand the relationship between pH and toxin growth; and for foods stored in the refrigerator, make sure your fridge stays in the low 30s, if possible.
