Homemade Flavored Oil Alert – FAQs

The original article “Homemade Flavored Oil Alert” appeared in the July 2000 issue of Greenline. Since then I have received so many comments and questions, I’ve decided to print some of the most frequently asked questions to help clarify the information in the original article for everyone.

Question: Can you refer me to research studies that support your conclusions about the dangers of homemade flavored oil?

Answer: Yes, to read about documented cases of illness from improperly prepared and/or stored flavored oils, visit the Center for Disease Control (CDC) website at www.cdc.gov/ and search the website using the keyword botulism. There are also additional references given at the end of each CDC article after the Editorial note. According to the CDC information there were 174 cases of botulism reported in 1999. Of these, 26 were foodborne, 107 were infant botulism and 41 were cases of wound botulism.

Question: Can I make my garlic/herb infused oil safer and increase storage time by adding vinegar or lemon juice?

Answer: When you add vinegar or lemon juice to oil, herbs and garlic you have changed the recipe. What you have just described sounds more like salad dressing than flavored oil. Although commercial garlic-in-oil preparations are made with the addition of some form of food acid (citric acid, etc) it is not vinegar or lemon juice. The addition of an acid does lower the pH of the oil thus reducing the risk of harmful microorganism growth. But some commercial processes simply cannot be duplicated at home because we lack the machinery, the recipe (ratio), or the ingredients which may be restricted - For Commercial Use Only.

Question: What are the symptoms of botulism?

Answer: Botulism is a neuroparalytic illness causing paralysis beginning with the cranial (brain) nerves. The classic symptoms include double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth and muscle weakness. Long delayed diagnosis or mis-diagnosis of botulism is not as common today as in the past. During an outbreak of botulism from a commercial garlic-in-oil preparation in Vancouver, Canada in 1985, diagnoses confusion included stroke. Guillain-Barre syndrome, myasthenia gravis, chemical intoxication, tick paralysis, diphtheria, cardiac failure, pharyngitis and others.

Resource: Annals of Internal Medicine. 1988;108: 363-368.

Question: I want to thank you for your article on the dangers of homemade herbed oil. I had no idea of its potential for botulism. I was surprised because of the plethora of recipes that appear online. Why is this allowed?

Answer: There is no law against printing a poor recipe. Do not assume that all information on the World Wide Web is valid. Check to see who runs the site? What is the purpose of the site - to educate the public or to sell a product? Consider information put out by government agencies, universities and recognized health agencies and associations. These sources of information are written and reviewed by health professionals and academic researchers.

Question: I have been collecting ornate bottles to prepare homemade flavored oil to give as Christmas gifts; do you think it would be safe?

No. Garlic and herb infused oil has a short shelf life-- 10 days in the refrigerator (updated October 2004).

August 2002
What Is Killing My Tree? | Controlling Creeping Charlie | Home Lawn Fertilization | Watch Out for Wasps | White Grubs in Lawns | Identfying and Controlling Scale Insects | Ode to a Violet | Lawn Care Calendar | Cybergarden Sites | Hort Shorts | Hort Tips | Homemade Flavored Oil Alert – FAQs | Not-So-Popular Edible Vegetable Parts | Refreshing Ginger Lemon Tea | Yes, You Can Can | Making Herb Vinegar | Health & Household Tips | Did You Know?

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