Mold prevention for homemade blends.

[kanse]

What are some methods employed for mold prevention?
I am thinking of preparing a homemade blend. Apparently Motzek use salt for that purpose. What are other ways I could approach this?

 

[prairiedruid]

Vinegar or alcohol perhaps.

 

[woodsroad]

Calcium Propionate, .5% by wt.

Recheck me on the application rate.

 

[jitterbugdude]

Get yourself a moisture meter (they are cheap). I typically do not store anything in a closed container that is over 20%. Experiment with different moisture levels, keep notes. You can also develop the "natural" way to determine if a tobacco is too dry/wet. Grab a handful and squeeze and release it. The tobacco should spring back within a few seconds. This takes practice though so a moisture meter will help you in the interim.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Slightly off topic but I read somewhere that honey is the only foodstuff that doesn't spoil with age.
They even found some in a jar in one of the Egyptian pyramids, several thousand years old, it only needed dehydrating before it was sampled.
Regards,
Jay.

 

[woodsroad]

Honey doesn't support mold or fungus growth because the water content is too low. It does often harbor spores, including botulinum. Honey does have some antimicrobial properties, but I wouldn't expect it to act as a preservative, especially once it absorbes water from the tobacco, casing, topping or atmosphere.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Dan, I wasn't suggesting matey used honey as a preservative, just mentioning a fact I read on the back of a matchbox or some such place :roll:
I think the best preservative method would be to ensure cleanliness throughout the mixing process and avoid using over moist tobacco.
Regards,
Jay.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Yes, 20% is on the high side for storage! From a Pease article:

At 10% water (by weight), a tobacco is going to seem very dry. If the moisture level is increased to 20%, it will be quite damp. Ideally, moisture contents between 13% and 18% are right for most blends and most smokers.

While moisture meters are cheaper now than years ago, hygrometers are cheaper still. They measure relative humidity, which for smoking well range in the 55-65% level. Storage can be much higher, and as Jay mentions, cleanliness is important.
While mold is more likely at higher temperatures and moisture levels, you can't prevent it just by being extra dry, according to Greg Pease, if I am understanding him correctly. http://www.glpease.com/FAQ.html

 

[woodsroad]

Yeah, I don't know exactly what types of mold are common to processed pipe tobacco. You'd have to figure that out then check the conditions under which they reproduce.