Taken by the pregnant mother, for various reasons, certain foods in oil or vinegar can be potentially harmful to the fetus.
By adhering to three essential rules, it is possible to minimize these dangers. In short:
- First of all, when it comes to preserved foods intended for the pregnant woman's diet, it is good to remember to avoid any food produced at home.
- Secondly, as a general rule (including commercial pickles and pickles), it is also advisable not to extend the shelf life of any product (beyond 1 or two days) after having violated the integrity of the container.
- Finally, as obvious as it may seem, it is recommended to eliminate any food that is suspected of being badly stored.
Let's go into more detail.
very low and do not affect the overall nutritional balance. The pickles, on the other hand, are more energetic, but their use can be compensated for by the reduction of seasoning fats. The real danger of these preserves is related to bacterial and fungal contamination / proliferation, both during production and long conservation, and after opening.
in oil and pickles during pregnancyMolds, parasites, viruses and just some bacteria are killed by heat (cooking). However, the mycotoxins of certain molds are thermostable and remain active even after the disappearance of the microorganisms that produced them.
By cooking the foods to be preserved in oil and vinegar it is possible to annihilate viruses, parasites and molds; on the other hand, mycotoxins can remain inside the product. For this reason, the raw materials to be used in preserves must be healthy and well preserved right from the start.
It must be admitted that in man mycotoxicosis, or poisoning caused by mold toxins, are quite rare. Potentially harmful molds belong to various Genres and proliferate on raw foods, but also on cooked ones (for subsequent contamination).
Foods of plant origin affected by the proliferation of molds are: vegetables, fruits, cereals, legumes and oil seeds. Foods of animal origin that are affected by the aforementioned microorganisms can be:
- Seasoned (in which the colonization of beneficial molds is expected; for example the outside of salami, certain cheeses, etc.)
- Badly preserved.
This means that there are "potentially good molds" and "potentially bad molds". The most common types of food molds are: Aspergillus, Fusarium, Penicillium And Byssochlamys. Note: on the other hand, for other reasons, the pregnant woman's diet should already be devoid of foods of animal origin that fall into the above categories (cured meats and preserved meats, poorly preserved meat products).
Usually, foods contaminated with unwanted molds are easily recognizable, which significantly reduces the risk of mycotoxicosis. Molds can sneak inside open jars and proliferate creating a white, green, red or dark and gelatinous film (the appearance changes depending on the Genus and Species). To avoid this occurrence it is necessary to respect the basic conservation criteria for pickles and pickles:
- They must not be contaminated with other foods or saliva
- Once opened, they must be sealed
- They require low temperature storage
- They should be consumed as soon as possible; pregnant women should avoid them if they have been open for more than a couple of days.
Except the Salmonella, the other three types of bacteria produce exogenous toxins of a protein nature.
Salmonella And C. botulinum they are defined spore-forming and are able to hide for a long time inside heat-resistant structures (called spores), responsible for the survival of the bacterium in hostile circumstances (acidity, high temperatures, absence of water, etc.).
The universally most dangerous bacterium that affects some pickles is the C. botulinum. This produces very dangerous neurotoxins, which give rise to a disease called botulism. Fortunately, the poisonous molecules are protein in nature and are destroyed at 80 ° C.
In pregnancy, among the most feared bacteria we recognize the Listeria monocytogenes, which gives rise to the pathology called listeriosis. It is a microorganism that increases the chances of fetal malformations and miscarriages. It is not easy to contract with food; even less with well-cooked pickles and pickles. In fact, the L. monocytogenes it dies at a temperature below 40 ° C and is unable to protect itself with spores. Its toxins are of the protein type and are annihilated with sterilization. The foods responsible for the infection are raw ones of vegetable origin and certain cheeses.
We remember that the damage of food infections, intoxications and toxic infections on the fetus is not only of a direct type. There are also indirect complications related to specific symptoms. For example, recurrent vomiting and diarrhea can cause very dangerous dehydration and nutritional suffering. The potential for bacterial contamination and proliferation during the production cycle changes based on:
- Type of food
- Chemistry of the preserving liquid
- Treatment temperature (bleaching, pasteurization, sterilization, etc.)
- Available technology.
It should also be remembered that some pickles are of the fermented type, such as sauerkraut and gherkins made according to the traditional recipe.
The bacteria in question mainly belong to the genus of Lactobacilli and they are normally considered beneficial to the body (probiotics). On the other hand, many believe that avoiding them during pregnancy is advisable.
of anaerobic microorganisms, which tend to be more "problematic" (which also includes the aforementioned bacterium). .
However, there is no treatment temperature that protects against the risk of endotoxic intoxication.
Endotoxins are lipid-derived molecules placed on the cell surface of gram negative bacteria. This means that a food previously contaminated by these microorganisms, even if treated at very high temperatures, is capable of triggering intoxication.
For this reason, very careful hygiene is required, especially in the initial stages of the production cycle.
