115 or 106 degree F?

[Non]

Which do you think is considered the temperature you shouldn't go above at which enzymes start to become denatured? I read that 115 is the temperature, then I read 106 and am confused as to which is best.

I've been making things in the dehydrator at 115 thinking they would still be kept raw. And I've also been taking this protein powder by Nutribiotics, the sprouted rice protein, which uses processes below 115.

[sport]

I think that it varies from one food to another so I stick with 105.

[SevenKindsOfCookie]

Well, it depends on what your dehydrating also. Just because the air temperature in the dehydrator reaches a certainly level doesn't mean your food does.
If it's very thick or moist food you will need to go at a higher temperature at first or else the temperature of the food will be too low which can result in unnecessary mold and bacteria buildup. And the longer you leave the food in the dehydrator the higher is the risk of damaging the enzymes actually.

Gabriel Cousens recommendation is to start dehydrating at 145 degrees for 1-3 hours depending on the type of food, and then lower it to the 110-115 range. And it makes very much sense to me.

[RawKnitster]

From what I understand, 105 is when enzymes start to die. At 118 all the enzymes are dead.

I dehydrate herbs at 95 degrees. Fruits and veggies at 105 degrees. Wet foods like crackers and chips at 115.

Freezing also kills some enzymes. Besides, I don't think the enzyme content is the best argument for eating raw foods. If I eat something that has been heated to 115-118 degrees, I'm not going to worry about it. If that was all I ate, then I would worry. My diet is so full of enzymes, I'm not going to miss a few. ;)

[DebB]

I set mine at 105° and rarely change it.

But I've also done what SevenKindsofCookie posted about - started it at 145°, etc. Depends on what it is that I'm drying. *Ü*

[Raw Angel Mom]

Typically i set my dehydrator 105 for most all of my recipes. If you are making bread, it is ok to crank it up as per a few rawfoodish recommendation. The high water contain in the food will preserve the enzyme and won't allow the heat to go up as much inside the food BUT you will need to drop the temperature down or at least below 115 after a little while (typically from 60 min or recommended time of your recipe.

Above 115 is what has been found to be ok BUT the food start loosing the energy. Again, if you do bread, starting at 125 would be ok for the first time as per Dr. Cousens's wife when she demonstrates how she makes her bread in her DVD.

[RawKnitster]

Setting the temp high in the beginning can be tricky. Especially on breads. You don't want to seal the outside with a blast of high heat. That will prevent the inside of the bread from drying and it might ferment. Too low a temp can also cause fermenting. I've done that and it is nasty.

I read research (sorry, I don't remember the source) that stated enzymes are most susceptible to heat when wet, and that after the food is dryed it can be exposed to higher temps up to 150 degrees without damage to the enzymes. The study didn't include nutrients which may be another concern. I don't see any reason to expose food to higher heats, I just thought it was interesting because it was different from all I had read about dehydrating.

[Tulpa]

Ummm...not to confuse the issue but there are thermophilic enzymes out there, like TAQ polymerase utilized in PCR, that wants things well about 100 to work.

But how is this for logic. Wouldnt it make sense that 80 degrees or less would be better because this is the temperature that most plants experience over the summer and they were able to survive and flourish at this temperature range?

I have a dehydrator and have never used it.