Why can you be poisoned by sauerkraut and what to do if this happens

Sauerkraut is one of the healthiest winter preparations. All substances are preserved in it, and the amount of vitamin C and some other elements even increases after fermentation. Doctors recommend including this product in the winter diet.

During sauerkraut, cabbage undergoes fermentation processes. It acquires its special properties and taste thanks to beneficial bacteria. However, if the storage rules or preparation technology are violated, pathological microorganisms begin to multiply in the snack. Then the product becomes dangerous. Is it possible to be poisoned by sauerkraut and how to recognize the symptoms in a timely manner, read the article.

Is it possible to get poisoned by sauerkraut?

Poisoning is possible when eating sauerkraut not undergone additional heat treatment. Also, often the source of harmful bacteria is not the pickle itself, but the additives present in it and the products with which it was consumed.

Spoiled sauerkraut develops various harmful bacteria that can cause intoxication. The most dangerous pathogens are considered to be botulism, which develop not only in meat and fish, but also in any anaerobic environment.

Infection with botulism is possible if the pickles were in an airless environment. Such conditions are created in hermetically sealed jars and bags. The pathogen spores get into the snack itself along with particles of soil, from dirty hands or in the wrong proximity.

Note! In 2010, a case was recorded where a family of 5 people became ill with botulism after eating sauerkraut.

Botulism rarely develops in cabbage. Much more often, a spoiled product becomes a medium for the development of E. coli. It causes symptoms of intoxication, but is not considered fatal.

The greatest risk of infection is when buying cabbage at the market or in a store. Unscrupulous sellers often do not follow the cooking technology, trying to quickly sell an unfermented product.

Pickles that have expired are also being sold. To hide the signs of a spoiled product, the snack is washed, treated with vinegar and a weak chlorine solution. To mask the unpleasant color and smell, vegetables, berries, fruits, and sauces are added to sauerkraut.

Safest to buy sauerkraut without additives, because in this form it is easier to check its suitability for consumption.

Possible causes of poisoning

Sauerkraut rarely causes poisoning.

This is possible in the following cases:

1. Violation of cooking technology. Not only the cooking process matters, but also the products that are used. Compliance with sanitary standards is important.
2. Dishes. Sauerkraut produces lactic acid, which reacts with certain materials, releasing compounds that are harmful to health.
3. Violation of storage conditions. The product loses its beneficial properties and bacteria multiply in it. The smell, taste and color change.
4. Toxic products. The problem arises if cabbage was grown using chemicals to control diseases and pests or as fertilizers. Heads of cabbage accumulate toxins, which, when entering the human body, cause poisoning.

Storage conditions

Even properly prepared sauerkraut will lead to poisoning if it is not stored correctly.

To ensure that the product remains useful for a long time and does not develop pathogenic bacteria, the following storage conditions are observed:

1. Temperature. The optimal indicators for sauerkraut are -2...+4°C (it will not spoil for 8 months), but it can be stored without consequences at temperatures up to +8°C (up to a month). Higher rates create an optimal environment for the development of pathogenic bacteria. In winter, pickles are stored on the balcony. If they freeze, this will not negatively affect their taste or beneficial properties. Cabbage is also stored in the refrigerator.
2. Tightness. The container with cabbage must be closed. This will protect the workpiece from the entry of pathogenic bacteria and fungi from the outside, protect it from contact with air, and increase shelf life.
3. Humidity. This figure should average 80%. Low humidity leads to rapid evaporation of the brine. If the snack is not completely covered with liquid, it will darken when exposed to air and its taste will change.
4. Shelf life. Sauerkraut is stored for up to 8 months in wooden barrels or enamel containers in which it was fermented after cooking. The product will remain usable for 4 to 6 months in hermetically sealed glass jars. In open containers in the refrigerator, the pickles will not spoil for 4-7 days. In all cases, the cabbage should be filled with brine.

After the expiration date, eating pickles is dangerous to health. To preserve sauerkraut for more than six months, it is frozen.

Incorrect preparation

It is important to ferment cabbage correctly.If the technology is not followed, the product will not bring benefit to the body, but harm.

Rules for sauerkraut:

1. Processing of heads of cabbage. The largest amount of chemicals collects in the stalk and on the upper leaves of cabbage. These parts need to be removed. The remaining leaves are soaked for 15 minutes in a salt solution. These actions will help get rid of more than 75% of harmful substances. The body will remove the rest without damage.
2. Purity. It is important to wash your hands thoroughly before preparing. Dishes and knives are treated with a special agent; it is better to wear gloves on your hands. It is not recommended to use boards on which raw meat and fish products were cut for slicing cabbage.
3. Choice of variety. Late varieties are suitable for fermentation. Early and middle leaves have less dense leaves; during the fermentation process they quickly lose structure and color. Bacteria multiply faster in such a product.
4. Correct ratio of salt and vegetables. The amount of salt should be 2% of the total weight of the products.
5. Compliance with fermentation dates. Sauerkraut can be eaten no earlier than 2 weeks after the start of preparation. It is especially dangerous to use it in the first 2 days, because during this period the fermentation process is not yet complete.
6. Actions during cooking. Remove the resulting foam from the cabbage and pierce the salad with a skewer, releasing the gas.

Sauerkraut consists of 4 stages:

1. Juice secretion. The products included in the snack release juice. It begins to ferment, but due to the high concentration of salt, lactic bacteria do not develop. Gradually the amount of juice increases, the brine becomes less concentrated.
2. Formation of lactic acid bacteria. When there is a lot of juice, it begins to ferment.The process is accompanied by the release of carbon dioxide, cloudiness of the brine, and the formation of foam. Such effects are caused by the proliferation of lactic acid bacteria. This and the previous stages must take place at a temperature of +17…+22°C.
3. Lactic acid accumulation. Occurs due to decomposition processes occurring in the product. The duration of the process is 5-7 days. All this time the temperature is maintained at +20°C. The formation of lactic acid stops when its concentration is 1.5-2%.
4. After-fermentation. Lactic acid inhibits lactic acid bacteria. During this period there is a risk of mold formation. To prevent this, the container with cabbage is moved to a room with a temperature no higher than +8°C.

Unsuitable cookware

Plastic and metal are not suitable for sauerkraut, because when interacting with lactic acid, they release compounds harmful to the human body. This may cause poisoning.

It is best to ferment vegetables in a wooden or glass container. Enameled containers are also suitable, but in this case it is important to make sure there are no chips.

Signs of spoiled and good cabbage

To avoid poisoning, it is important to be able to distinguish between edible and spoiled sauerkraut.

Key parameters to pay attention to:

1. Color. The salad should be light, with a uniform color. If the composition contains carrots, the presence of a yellowish tint is acceptable. The absence of gray, green, pink, reddish and other uncharacteristic colors is important. They indicate the presence of fungus or mold. A grayish tint may also be a sign that the heads of cabbage were not washed well before cooking. A snow-white tint indicates non-compliance with the cooking technology.
2. Compound. Only salt, cabbage, and sometimes carrots should be present. A small amount of berries and fruits is acceptable, but buying such salads is more dangerous than buying regular sauerkraut. The composition should not contain vinegar, sugar or other preservatives.
3. Smell. A high-quality product has a specific aroma with a slight sourness. If the smell is musty, you cannot eat such cabbage.
4. Texture. Vegetables should be firm, firm and crispy. It is better if they are thinly sliced. If the cabbage is soft and limp, it means that the storage or preparation rules were violated.
5. Taste. High-quality cabbage should be slightly sour, with a slight spice. Too sour, sweet taste, as well as foreign tastes indicate that the product is spoiled.
6. Brine. The pickle should be completely covered with it.
7. Foreign inclusions. Mucus, mold and film on the brine are the main signs of spoiled cabbage. It cannot be eaten even in processed form.

If only the top layer of lettuce is affected, it will still not be possible to save it by getting rid of the damaged part. Mold, bacteria and their toxins, fungi have time to spread throughout the salting.

It is not recommended to eat spoiled cabbage, even if it has been heat-treated. Despite the fact that heat treatment above +100°C kills harmful microorganisms, to get rid of their toxins, you will need to cook the dish at a temperature of +120°C for at least 10 minutes.

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What to do if you are poisoned by sauerkraut

Sauerkraut poisoning occurs when harmful microorganisms and their toxins enter the gastrointestinal tract. There they begin to multiply rapidly, suppressing their own microflora and immune cells.

From the gastrointestinal tract, pathogenic microorganisms and their metabolic products enter the blood, which leads to intoxication. Its severity and consequences depend on the correct treatment. The sooner the problem is identified and eliminated, the greater the chance of a complete and rapid recovery.

Symptoms

In order to begin treatment of poisoning in time, you need to know its symptoms:

1. Nausea and repeated vomiting for 1-5 days. Vomiting occurs after every meal or drink of water.
2. Diarrhea. In some cases it is missing.
3. Painful sensations in the abdomen. Often the pain is localized around the navel.
4. Weakness, lethargy, drowsiness.
5. Impaired coordination of movements.
6. Dizziness.
7. Temperature from 37 to 38.5°C.

Sometimes poisoning is accompanied by tachycardia, convulsions, cyanosis of the extremities, chills, and headache.

Dehydration is always present. If dehydration is severe, loss of consciousness is possible.

Attention! If a person is allergic to mold, poisoning from spoiled sauerkraut may be accompanied by anaphylaxis. One of its signs is a blue discoloration of the nasolabial triangle.

First aid, treatment

If spoiled cabbage has been eaten, nausea appears, but there is no vomiting yet, gastric lavage is performed. To do this, you need to drink about 1.5 liters of water or a light pink solution of potassium permanganate. If vomiting does not occur during the process, it is induced by pressing your fingers on the root of the tongue.

If symptoms of intoxication appear, first aid should be as follows:

1. Taking absorbent drugs: Atoxil, Enterosgel, activated carbon, etc. The drugs are taken according to the instructions.
2. Eliminate dehydration. After each vomiting, an adult needs to drink 1-1.5 liters of water and a child 50-200 ml. This should be done in small portions every 5 minutes so as not to induce vomiting. It is better to drink not plain water, but saline solutions, for example, “Regidron”.
3. If there is no diarrhea and vomiting is severe, you should use a laxative, for example, magnesium sulfate.
4. If you have a temperature above 38°C, take an antipyretic drug (Nurofen).
5. For severe pain, take antispasmodics, for example, No-Shpu.

If the poisoning is severe, the doctor will prescribe a course of antibiotics lasting from 3 days to 2 months. It is prohibited to take medications on your own.

Further recovery

In the acute phase of poisoning (in the presence of severe symptoms), it is recommended to refuse to eat. At this time, they drink herbal teas, still water, and dried fruit compote.

Eating is allowed the next day after the acute phase has resolved. The recovery period lasts at least a week. At this time, nutrition should be gentle. Food should not be fatty, fried, smoked, salty, or spicy. Snacks, carbonated drinks, fast food, sweets, yeast, puff pastry and butter dough are prohibited.

The patient should eat boiled or stewed food with a minimum amount of oil. Low-fat fermented milk products, lean meat of adult animals, cereals without oil, vegetables and fruits with low acidity are allowed.

In what cases is medical assistance needed?

In some cases, independent treatment is impossible. A doctor is called if:

• a child, an elderly person, a woman during pregnancy, a person with chronic diseases of the liver, pancreas, and gastrointestinal tract were affected;
• first aid did not bring positive results or the condition worsened;
• traces of blood were found in vomit or feces;
• an increase in temperature is accompanied by convulsions;
• severe dehydration, impaired consciousness, or fainting occur.

The doctor will adjust the treatment or refer the patient to the infectious diseases department. There they will take swabs, prescribe a course of antibiotics, put on an IV to eliminate dehydration, etc.

Note! Usually, after treatment of poisoning, enzyme preparations and hepatoprotectors are prescribed to normalize liver function.

Possible consequences

Intoxication of the body does not always pass without consequences.

With improper and untimely treatment, the following pathologies may occur:

• inflammation of the liver, pancreas, biliary tract;
• liver and kidney failure;
• bowel irritation;
• dehydration.

In rare cases, death or coma may occur.

Conclusion

Sauerkraut poisoning is a rare but dangerous occurrence. It occurs if the product was prepared in violation of the technology or was stored incorrectly. Symptoms of poisoning are the same as for any other intoxication of the body. If treatment is not done in a timely manner, life- and health-threatening consequences may develop.

To cure poisoning and avoid unpleasant consequences, it is important to provide the patient with first aid correctly and in a timely manner. It is better not to self-medicate, but to contact your doctor or call an ambulance.