Dehydrator temp. test

[Crystl-jade]

Beeep! Beeep! Beeeeep!!!

This is a test of the "dehydrator temperature when dehydrating raw foods for the raw foodists' information service."
. To keep within the limits of raw food heating, I have decided to conduct an experiment with my soaked, sprouted chick peas.

This is only a test.

After soaking the chick peas overnight and sprouting them for two days,
I placed them in the dehydrator with the temperature setting of 115 degrees.
They dehydrated for exactly 24 hours, at which time they were soaked again for 12 hours and are now sitting out on the counter.

The test is that I want to see if the peas will continue to sprout after being in the dehydrator temp of 115.

If they continue to sprout, then I know for sure my dehydrator is drying my foods correctly to preserve nutrients and the food is still alive .

In a few days, I will see the outcome.

Then, if this test is successful, you will be the first to know! :)

Crystl-jade

[karenbeel]

Very good experiment, you'll have to let us know how this turns out. Karen

[Crystl-jade]

thank you,Karen:)

O.K. The latest results are in.

The chick peas, soaked, sprouted then dehydrated at 115 degrees for 24 hours then re-soaked for 12 hours and drained then left to sprout for two days HAVE CONTINUED TO SPROUT, YEH! Happy Dance :D

Obviously, this means that dried at 115 degrees, food remains in it's live state.

Furthermore, I am going to test at 120 degrees, just to see what happens. I will let you know the results. This will at least take about 4 days or longer.


crystl-jade

[Shivananda]

Very clever idea. I just posted elsewhere about checking the interior temperature of foods with a digital thermometer, but I never thought of this. Dr. Howelll said the magic number is 118 degrees.

But one caveat about your methodology, I could see the opposite result could have happened under slightly different circumstances. If sprouting starts and then the sprout dries out, the sprout dies. So 115 degrees for TWO days might have killed the sprout, without ever exceeding rawsafe temperature. See what I mean?. In other words, you could have reched the conclusion that 115 was not safe, for the wrong reasons.

[Crystl-jade]

Hi!

The sprout was dried out, then I rehdyrated it and it grew even more!

It doesn't die when dried out, as I was questioning this myself.

Maybe I am confounded by your theory :confused:

Interesting, though! :)

[lily]

That was a really brilliant idea, Crystl-jade and most reassuring. You're a genius!

lily

[Shivananda]

It doesn't die when dried out, as I was questioning this myself.
I assure you, as one who knows, after years of gardening and sprouting, if you let a sprout thoroughly dry out, it will die, even if it was kept cool the whole time. It's why you have to keep misting sprouts, so they don't dry out (and also to help keep them cool, because the sprouting process itself generates heat.)

Burt what you DID show, very cleverly, was that after being at 115 degrees for 24 hours, the enzymes necessary for sprouting were still viable.

Less confounded now?

[karenbeel]

crystl-jade & Shivananda Thank you for sahring this information with us very fascinating thread. blessings Karen

[Crystl-jade]

:o :o :o :o Blush Blush.......Thanks for the compliments ya'll :)


S, as far as the drying of the sprout part is concerned, surley I had taken care of that by rinsing them concurrently in warm water, to be sure the sprouts were moist. Also, if the sprouts died off from being too dry in the dehydrator, that would prove to me the dehydrator would also kill other sprouts and or living food, which I do not want, so that would make me further question the benifits of using a dehydrator at all... see what I mean? I believe I covered all the variables before I began this experiment. However, no one is perfect and I am far from it. Good hypothesis, though, thanks for the idea. :)

I have saved the extra dried peas left over from the initial experiment for further
computations on the viability of peas dried at 120 and above as previously mentioned. However, after further thought, perhaps using another medium for the experiment would prove to be less problematic.

Therefore, perhaps using seeds that sprout very very long tails would work.

I must experiment.

Hopefully, I will remember to do this, as more often then not, I am so absent minded that I forget what I promise to do until it is too late, LOL :mad:


crystl-jade

[Shivananda]

Therefore, perhaps using seeds that sprout very very long tails would work. I'd suggest mung beans, which turn into long bean sprouts like Chinese kitchens use. In my experience, when you don't keep them moist they rapidly turn into gnarly :eek: bean threads.

[Crystl-jade]

S, thanks for the idea :)

I think I will implement this idea as soon as I acquire some mug beans!

Very good idea.


Crystl-jade

[Sheryl]

I'd love to know!!!

[RawTruth]

Me too.

(Cool thing to do, by the way, as we've usually assumed that the opposite of what you found was true. Gotta let Alissa know about this!)

[Crystl-jade]

Hi and thanks again for all the compliments. :o :o :o :o :o :D


I still haven't acquired the mug beans as I don't have a car at the moment to get to the store. Sorry folks that this is taking so long. When my sweetie hubby takes me shopping tonite, I will look for mug beans.

Raw Truth, what did you find true that was the opposite of what I proved :confused: Mabye I'm just not getting it, lol?


crysti-jade

[swingbolder]

I was dehyrdating some stuff two weeks ago and when I checked on them, the interior temp. seemed pretty high (excalibur five-tray, bought in 1999). I popped a thermometer in there and found the temp. to be 120, even though I had the thing set for 95. Wasn't too happy about that, so I lowered it to 85, and measured again and the temp. was about 105.

[RawTruth]

That even if something is soaked and sprouted, once it's dehydrated, the enzymes are "de-activated."

[Sheryl]

I've read that most enzymes are deactivated, and unable to work if they are at the wrong temperature, or massively dehydrated. However once you add water, or warm them up, the enzyme is active again. It wasn't damaged in any way, just unable to work for us due to lack of water of temperature.

The real test was if they were damaged or destroyed, making them unable to work again once they were rehydrated.

Does that make sense?

For the mung bean plant how much are you planning to let them grow? If they grow too much (ie into a little plant) dehydrating would kill the plant and it definitely wouldn't grow, even though enzymes are intact.

Cheers,
Sheryl

[Rawmommyof2-Sacramento]

I'd love to know!!!
Excalibur 9 tray

[Crystl-jade]

Everyone,

Pardon, I forgot all about this thread, LOL

Interesting ideas, thank you for all of them.

I have an excalibur dehydrator, BTW.


Crystl-jade