[pct-l] Pct-L Digest, Vol 60, Issue 7

[lorna at ptera.net]

I think 110 to 115 degrees is the upper limit for enzyme preservation.  (I 
read somewhere that 118 degrees is the killer line.)  I've successfully 
dried all kinds of stuff at just below 115 degrees.


From: Jennifer Zimmerman <jenniferlzim at gmail.com>
Subject: Re:  Vitamin I
To: Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes <diane at santabarbarahikes.com>

I don't know much about the mechanism of action behind why the stuff seems
to work, but to preserve the effect it might be a good idea to dehydrate
any TC-containing leather at low temperatures like the Raw Food advocates
use.  I believe this is a cutoff of 105 F (40 C).  This would help to
preserve enzymatic activity and, potentially, anti-inflammatory benefits.
However, I'm not sure that this low of a temperature would produce a good
dry leather and not a sticky mess.  I dehydrate mine at 135 F to get it
nice and dry and to prevent mold.  Using a concentrate instead of a juice
would help in this case.

Cherries are indeed very tasty in this kind of application - I made a great
cherry-lime leather last summer with pitted fresh cherries, canned pears,
and fresh lime zest/juice.