Water Activity And Microbes...

[indaswamp]

Great discussion on what water activity is, why it is important when drying meats, and how it affects microbes. There is a table at the 5:48 mark for the water activity necessary to stop the growth of different bad microbes. Strap in, pop a beer....it's 1 hour long...

 

[indaswamp]

So, I learned something....

If you cure with only salt, the natural breakdown of the proteins will create nitrogen compounds and some of those compounds will degrade to form NO2 which will basically cure the meat color... But this would not be high enough to stop the growth of Botulism bacteria.