Mr.Fastcast
Member
This is something I've been thinking about lately,
Risks of Compost Tea
Escherichia coli 0157:H7, Salmonella and Listeria are now common household terms that have raised the fears of many consumers. Foodborne outbreaks of diseases caused by these organisms have been associated with the consumption of raw fruits and vegetables and have been linked to the use of uncomposted manure during the growing, harvesting and washing of these commodities. Composting manure effectively reduces pathogens to nondetectable levels (Lung, 2001), but composting is not sterilizing. It is reasonable to assume that very low levels and resting stages of these pathogens may be present, even though they may not be a health risk. When compost is land applied, the soil environment will not foster regrowth, and the low levels of pathogens will quickly wane. In contrast, when compost is brewed in a tea, conditions may favor growth of populations of pathogenic organisms. This was the case when simple sugars were added to the brewing tea. Bess (2002) and Duffy et al. (2002) brewed ACT with molasses and other simple sugars and demonstrated that these microbial nutrient supplements not only enhance the growth of beneficial bacteria in the tea but also support and may select for the growth of E. coli and Salmonella. Both authors suggest that eliminating sugars can reduce or eliminate the pathogens.
Ingham (personal communication) disagrees with the results of these studies. She claims that the degree of aeration is important, and that no risk is present if the brewed tea is kept properly aerated, which she claims the two studies mentioned above failed to do.
Just throwing this out their,not trying to freak anyone out.
Risks of Compost Tea
Escherichia coli 0157:H7, Salmonella and Listeria are now common household terms that have raised the fears of many consumers. Foodborne outbreaks of diseases caused by these organisms have been associated with the consumption of raw fruits and vegetables and have been linked to the use of uncomposted manure during the growing, harvesting and washing of these commodities. Composting manure effectively reduces pathogens to nondetectable levels (Lung, 2001), but composting is not sterilizing. It is reasonable to assume that very low levels and resting stages of these pathogens may be present, even though they may not be a health risk. When compost is land applied, the soil environment will not foster regrowth, and the low levels of pathogens will quickly wane. In contrast, when compost is brewed in a tea, conditions may favor growth of populations of pathogenic organisms. This was the case when simple sugars were added to the brewing tea. Bess (2002) and Duffy et al. (2002) brewed ACT with molasses and other simple sugars and demonstrated that these microbial nutrient supplements not only enhance the growth of beneficial bacteria in the tea but also support and may select for the growth of E. coli and Salmonella. Both authors suggest that eliminating sugars can reduce or eliminate the pathogens.
Ingham (personal communication) disagrees with the results of these studies. She claims that the degree of aeration is important, and that no risk is present if the brewed tea is kept properly aerated, which she claims the two studies mentioned above failed to do.
Just throwing this out their,not trying to freak anyone out.
