dry garlic in oil --> botulism risk?

Question

My girlfriend and I are thinking of preparing some flavored oils for Christmas presents this year (don't tell anyone!). We've read online that fresh garlic presents a health hazard when stored at room temperature, because the low-acidity, oxygen-free environment is perfect for the botulism-causing spore to develop.

In order to avoid this, we've used dried, minced garlic (bought at the store). However, I haven't found any substantial evidence that this mixture is safe for storage at room-temperature. One site mentioned that the lack of water in the garlic removes the "food" for the spore, and therefore the risk.

Do you know if dried garlic (or any other easily available garlic type) can be stored for longer periods at room temperature?

Answer

The most common data point seems to be that any moisture level below 35% will inhibit growth of the C. Botulinum spores that cause botulism. It's hard to point to true scientific sources because they tend to be protected, but if you spend a few minutes on Google (try this query) you'll see that it is in fact confirmed in several of the scientific journals.

I seem to be seeing snippets of references (which I can't view the full text of) that suggest possible growth at moisture levels as low as 16%, but most garlic flakes have 6% moisture or lower, which is way too low for botulism.

If you are seriously concerned - perhaps you live in a very humid climate and don't have air conditioning - then toss a desiccant into the container to be sure that the moisture level stays down. The most popular are those little packets of silica gel (don't open them!), but there are many more - see Wikipedia's list of desiccants.

Honestly though, chances are your flaked garlic is already free of C. Botulinum spores after the dehydrating process, and nothing's going to grow no matter how you store the dried stuff. The above paragraph is only included for the hyper-paranoid. Powdered/flaked garlic is safe to store at room temperature.

If you're actually storing this garlic in the oil (it's not entirely clear from your question) then that's another story, and theoretically you're making it possible for the spores to grow again. So it comes down to a question of whether or not the garlic flakes are already clean. That's extremely likely to be the case, but not a sure thing, and personally, I don't know if I'd chance it; best to follow the same precautions as those for fresh garlic and soak them in vinegar for 24 hours to kill any spores (although you might as well use fresh garlic in this case).

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